Labour market data in the A.C. of the Basque Country for the third quarter of 2007 showed the number of people in work as 970,100 people, which means 17,700 more than three months previously (+1.9%), reversing the trend of the two previous quarters, according to Eustat data. Elsewhere, the unemployment rate fell to 3.1% from the figure of 3.4% of the previous quarter, with the number of jobless diminishing by 3,100.

In relation to the second quarter of 2007 and as a result of the evolution of the employed and unemployed population, the activity rate increased by 0.8 percentage points and stood at 54.9% in the third quarter of 2007.

The employed population in the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole totalled 970,100 people. As regards gender, the improvement affected women as much as men, with the latter experiencing the most favourable evolution in employment with 11,500 more people in work than in the previous quarter. Employment rose in all three provinces: Bizkaia had 15,400 more net jobs, followed by Álava with 1,600 and finally, Gipuzkoa with 800 more.

The services sector gained 13,000 net jobs, construction 4,100 and industry 800 over the three-month period

In relation to the second quarter of 2007, there was a notable increase in the number of services sector jobs, with 13,000 more employees; it was followed by construction with 4,100 more net jobs and industry with 800; agriculture lost 300.

The employment rate, the percentage of employed people aged 16 to 64 out of the total number of people within these ages, stood at 67.7%, 1.4 percentage points higher than three months earlier. This rate came to 77.8% among men, while it stood at 57.3% for women.

By province, the highest employment rate was in Gipuzkoa with 69.9% and an increase as regards the previous quarter of point four per cent; it was followed by Álava with 68.9% and eight tenths more. Bizkaia had the lowest rate, with 66%, but showed a larger increase of 2.1 percentage points.

The number of wage earners with an indefinite contract rose by 16,000 and wage earners with a temporary contract increased by 3,700

In the third quarter of 2007, the total number of wage earners was 802,000, with a 19,900 increase as regards the previous quarter. The number of wage earners with an indefinite contract rose by 16,000 and came to 612,500, while wage earners with a temporary contract (including those with no contract at all) rose by 3,700, making a total of 189,400.

Trend of the employed population from 1985. A.C. of the Basque Country. (In thousands)

Source: EUSTAT

It was estimated that in the third quarter of 2007 there were 798,700 households in the A.C. of the Basque Country, of which almost a third had no active member. In almost 7 out of 10 households all the active people were employed, 10,800 more families than the previous quarter; additionally, households whose active members were all unemployed came to 9,900 (1.2% of the total), 600 less than in the previous quarter.

The unemployment rate fell to 3.1% in the A.C. of the Basque Country

The number of people out of work, which is to say people who were actively seeking work and were furthermore available for work, totalled 30,800 for the third quarter of the year. The number of unemployed women, totalling 15,300, increased by 1,100. However, unemployed men fell in number by 4,200 in the third quarter, meaning that unemployment affected a total of 15,500.

Data for the third quarter of 2007 showed that the unemployment rate had fallen by three tenths as regards the previous quarter, standing at 3.1%. The female unemployment rate rose to 3.6% (0.2 percentage points more) and the male one fell by eight tenths of a point, coming to 2.7%. The youth unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points, with unemployment affecting 4,500 young active people aged 16 to 24 (7.2%).

By province, in Álava, with a total of 3,200, the number of jobless fell by 200 and brought the unemployment rate to 2,2%; in Bizkaia there were 19,200 jobless, 2,900 less than three months earlier, even though it still had the worst rate (3.7%) and in Gipuzkoa, with 8,500 jobless, one hundred more, the unemployment rate remained steady at 2.6%.

The unemployment rate of the A.C. of the Basque Country for the third quarter of 2007 was 3.8 percentage points lower than that of the Euro Zone countries. According to EUROSTAT – Statistical Office of the European Union-, the unemployment rate in this area for August 2007 was 6.9%. Additionally, the rate for the European Union as a whole, bearing in mind the 27 member countries in 2007, stood at 6.7%.

Over the last year 10,400 net jobs were created

The employed population grew over the twelve-month period by 10,400, or 1.1%. This increase was seen in two of the three provinces, with the creation of 9,800 net jobs in Bizkaia and 800 in Álava, while Gipuzkoa remained unchanged. By sector, the services sector generated the most jobs, with 12,300 more, followed by construction with an increase of 4,400 net jobs. On the other hand the level of employment in industry fell by 4,400 people, although as mentioned earlier, the negative trend was broken in the third quarter with a increase of 800 people employed in industry and finally, in the primary sector 1,900 jobs were lost.

Over the twelve-month period there was an increase in the male employment rate of 1.3 percentage points and one of point four per cent in the female rate. In all three provinces the employment rate increased, if compared inter-annually: in Bizkaia by 1.4 percentage points, in Gipuzkoa two tenths of a point and in Álava one tenth.

The number of temporary wage earners diminished over the year by 35,900 and that of wage earners with an indefinite contract increased by 44,600. There was, therefore, a gradual rise in the number of permanent wage earners, since in the third quarter of 2007 this type of wage earner represented 76% of the total, and a year earlier had represented 72%.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points in the last year in the A.C. of the Basque Country

The unemployment rate in the last year fell by 0.5 percentage points (from 3.6% to 3.1%), meaning that 5.400 jobless people found work in the A.C. of the Basque Country over the year. All three provinces lowered their unemployment rate over the twelve-month period: the sharpest fall was in Álava (0.9 percentage points less), followed by Bizkaia (0.7 points less) and finally Gipuzkoa (0.1 points less).

SURVEY ON THE POPULATION IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY (PRA)

*p.p. = Difference in percentage points. Source: EUSTAT