Press release dated 15/04/2011

POPULATION IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY SURVEY (PRA) 1st QUARTER 2011

The employed population fell by 0.1% and the unemployment rate stood at 10.7% in the first quarter of 2011 in the Basque Country

The working population increase by 6,700 people and the activity rate was 56.3%

Labour market data in the Basque Country for the first quarter of 2011 revealed that the number of people in work stood at 940,600, which was a net drop of 2,100 compared to the previous quarter (-0.2%), according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate for the Basque Country stood at 10.7%, 0.7 percentage points up on the fourth quarter of 2010.

As a result of the evolution of the employed and unemployed population, the activity rate was 56.5% for first quarter of 2010, 0.4 percentage points up on the previous quarter.

In terms of sex, there was a downturn in the number of men employed, 4,400 down on the previous quarter, while the number of women in work increased by 2,300. The province with the greatest dip in employment was Bizkaia with 2,300 fewer jobs, followed by Álava which lost 1,100, while the number of people in work increased by 1,300 in Gipuzkoa.

The construction sector lost 1,600 jobs, the service sector 1,300 and agriculture 500. However, the industrial sector gained 1,400 jobs.

The employment rate, i.e. the percentage of people aged 16 to 64 in employment out of the total number of people in that age range, was 64.6%, which was the same as for the previous quarter. This rate came to 70.2% among men, while it stood at 58.9% for women

By province, the highest employment rate was in Gipuzkoa (67.7%), up 0.4 percentage points on the previous quarter, followed by Álava (64.5%), where the rate was unchanged. Finally, Bizkaia had the lowest rate (62.8%) which was down 0.3 points on the last quarter.

The number of employed workers on an indefinite contract was up and stood at 615,100, while the employees with temporary contracts (including those without contracts) fell to a total of 162,400.

All the working-age members were unemployed in 3.9% of households

In first quarter of 2011, there were estimated to be around 846,300 households in Basque Country (8,200 up on the previous quarter), of which almost a third had no working member. In almost six out of ten households, all the working-age people were employed, 5,400 fewer families than in the previous quarter. In addition, households whose working-age members were all unemployed came to 33,100 (3.9% of the total).



The unemployment rate rose from 10% to 10.7%

The number of people out of work in the Basque Country, which is to say people who were actively seeking work and were furthermore available for work, was estimated to be 113,100 for the first quarter of the year, 8,900 more than in the previous quarter. The number of unemployed men, in total 68,400 people, increased by 3,600 and the number of unemployed women rose by 5,300 in the fourth quarter, up to a total of 48,300.

Data for the first quarter of 2011 showed that the unemployment rate stood at 10.7%, 0.27 percentage points up on the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate rose to 11.2% (0.7 percentage points up) and the female one was up by 1 point, up to 10.2%. Despite falling by 1.7 points, youth unemployment continued to be the highest (26.3%), with unemployment affecting 14,400 young job seekers aged between 16 and 24.

By provinces, the greatest increase in the number of unemployed was in Bizkaia (up by 9,600 people) and the unemployment rate stood at 12.2%. Unemployment rose by 300 people to 29,800 in Gipuzkoa, and it continued to have the lowest employment rate (8.8%). However, the unemployment rate fell by 1,100 people in Álava with respect to the previous quarter and the unemployment rate was 8.9%.

According to EUROSTAT - Statistical Office of the European Union-, the unemployment rate for the EU-27 as a whole in February 2011 was 9.6% and 20.5% for Spain.

During the last year, 21,300 people joined the ranks of the unemployed in the Basque Country

The employed population in the Basque Country fell by 2,600 people (-0.3%) over the last twelve-month period, in other words, the first quarter of 2011 with respect to the first quarter of 2010. The drop was only in terms of men, with 7,800 fewer jobs, while the number of employed women rose by 5,100.

The unemployment rate in the last year increased by 1.8 percentage points (from 8.9% to 10.7%), which meant that 21,300 more people joined the ranks of the unemployed in the Basque Country over the year. By province, the unemployment rate increased by 2.7 percentage points in Bizkaia, by 2.2 points in Gipuzkoa and by 1.4 points in Álava over the last twelve months.

*p.p. = Difference in percentage points.

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tel:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Pilar Martínez Rollón. Tel: +34-945-01 75 31 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 Further press releases on population in relation to activity survey (PRA) Databank on population in relation to activity survey (PRA)