Press release 19/01/2012

POPULATION IN RELATION TO ACTIVITY SURVEY (PRA) 4TH QUARTER OF 2011

The number of people in work dropped by 1.1% and the unemployment rate rose 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2011 in the Basque Country

The working population fell by 9900

The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the fourth quarter of 2011 showed that there were 928,700 people in work, which is a net decrease of 9900 compared with the previous quarter (-1.1%), according to Eustat data. Furthermore, the unemployment rate of the Basque Country stood at 11.2%, 0.6 percentage points up on the third quarter of 2011.

As a result of the evolution in the employed and unemployed population, the activity rate was 55.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011, 0.2 percentage points less than the previous quarter.

The decrease in the number of individuals in work affected above all men, with 9700 less in work than the previous quarter, whilst the number of women in work fell by 200. Employment fell in the three provinces: There were 6100 fewer net jobs in Bizkaia, 2600 fewer in Álava and, lastly, 1200 jobs were lost in Gipuzkoa.

The number of people in work fell in all sectors

The employed population in the Industrial sector fell by 4500, construction lost 2900, the services sector 2000 and, lastly, the number of people in work in the agriculture sector fell by 400.

The employment rate, the percentage of individuals in work between the ages of 16 and 64, stood at 64%, 0.5 percentage points less than the previous quarter. This figure stood at 68.2% for men and 59.7% for women.

By province, the highest employment rate was in Gipuzkoa, where it stood at 67.3%, showing no change compared to the previous quarter; it was followed by Álava with 64.9%, or one percentage point less; finally the province with the lowest employment rate was Bizkaia with 61.8%, a fall of 0.7 percentage points compared to the last quarter.

The number of salaried individuals with a permanent contract fell by 5200 and stood at 591,600, whilst those on a temporary contract (including those without contracts) fell by 6200, totalling 173,900. The number of self-employed individuals increased by 1400 with respect to the previous quarter and stood at 163,200.

In the fourth quarter of 2011 it was estimated that there were 849,100 households in the Basque Country (900 more than the previous quarter) a third of which did not have any active individuals. In almost six out of every ten households, all of the active individuals were in work, 8400 families more than the previous quarter; also, there were 37,700 households where all active individuals were unemployed (4.4% of the total), 1800 up on the previous quarter.



The unemployent rate rose from 10.6% to 11.2%

The unemployed population in the Basque country, that is, individuals who are available for work, actively making enquiries and seeking employment, was estimated to be 116,900 in the fourth quarter of the year, 5,500 up on the previous quarter. The number of unemployed men, 69,000 individuals, increased by 4000, whilst the number of unemployed women increased by 1500, reaching a total of 47,900 in the fourth quarter.

The data for the fourth quarter of 2011 revealed an unemployment rate of 11.2%, 0.6 points up on the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate rose to 12.1% (0.8 percentage points up) and the feminine rate stood at 10.1% (0.3% percentage points up). The youth unemployment rate continued to be the highest, and stood at 24.2%, affecting 11,400 active young people between the ages of 16 and 24.

By province, the greatest increase in the number of people out of work was in Bizkaia (+3300 individuals) where the unemployment rate stood at 14.2%. In Gipuzkoa, the figure rose by 1800, with 26,800 individuals out of work and the unemployment rate standing at 8%. In Álava, there were 400 more unemployed individuals than the previous quarter and the unemployment rate stood at 7.3%.

According to EUROSTAT –The Statistical Office of the European Union-, in November 2011 the unemployment rate of the European Union-27 stood at 9.8% and that of Spain stood at 22.9%.

Over the last year, 12,700 individuals were added to the unemployment figures in the Basque Country

The population in work in the Basque Country fell by 13,400 compared to the third quarter of 2010, down 1.4%. This fall was mainly concentrated amongst men, with 19,600 less jobs, whilst the number of women in work rose by 6200.

The unemployment rate rose by 1.2 percentage points (from 10% to 11.2%), with 12,700 more individuals adding to the unemployment situation in the Basque Country compared with the data from the fourth quarter of 2010. By province, in Bizkaia the unemployment rate rose by 3.6 percentage points and in Gipuzkoa and Álava it fell by 0.7 percentage points and 3.1 percentage points, respectively, over the last twelve months.

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)