Press Release 19.07.12
The population in work grew by 0.2% and the unemployment rate stood at 11.9% in the second quarter of 2012 in the Basque Country
The population in work rose by 2,000 individuals
The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the second quarter of 2012 showed that there were 914,300 people in work, which was a net increase of 2,000 compared with the previous quarter, up two tenths, according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate of the Basque Country stood at 11.9%, 0.2 percentage points up on the first quarter of 2012.
As a result of the evolution in the employed and unemployed population, the activity rate stood at 55.4% in the second quarter of this year, remaining at the same level as the previous quarter.
The increase in employment affected above all women, with 6,400 more in work than the previous quarter, whilst the number of men in work fell by 4,400. The only province to experience a rise in employment was Bizkaia, with a net gain of 6,400 individuals in work, whilst in Álava this figure fell by 1,500 and in Gipuzkoa it was down by 2,900.
The services and agriculture sectors gained in terms of the working population whilst there were losses in industry and construction
The number of individuals in work in the services sector was up by 7,200 , followed by agriculture with 1,100. However, construction lost 4,100 people and industry was down by 2,300.
The employment rate, the percentage of individuals in work between the ages of 16 and 64, stood at 63.2%, 0.3 percentage points up on the previous quarter. This figure stood at 67% for men and 59.3% for women.
By province, the highest employment rate turned out to be that of Gipuzkoa, with 65.9% and a decrease of 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous quarter; this was followed by Álava, with 64.1% and 0.4 points down; Bizkaia had the lowest rate with 61.3%, nine-tenths of a point up on the last quarter.
The number of salaried individuals with a permanent contract fell by 5,500 and stood at 578,800, whilst those on a temporary contract or those without contracts rose by 1,000, totalling 169,600.
In the second quarter of 2012 it was estimated that there were 857,100 households in the Basque Country (800 more than the previous quarter), a third of which did not have any active individuals. In almost six out of every 10 households all of the active individuals were in work, which was 3,000 families more than the previous quarter; moreover, there were 41,100 households where all active individuals were unemployed (4.8% of the total), which translated into 1,600 families more than the previous quarter.
The unemployment rate fell from 12.1% to 11.9%
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 123,000 in the second quarter of the year, 2,600 less than the previous quarter. The number of unemployed men, 67,700 individuals, increased by 3,500, whilst the number of unemployed women was up by 800 in the second quarter, reaching a total of 55,300.
The data for the first quarter of 2012 revealed an unemployment rate of 11.9%, 0.2 points less than the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate dropped to 12.1% (0.5 percentage points less) and the female rate remained at 11.5%. The youth unemployment rate continued to be the highest, and stood at 30.7%, affecting 13,900 active young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
By provinces, the number of unemployed individuals was down in Bizkaia (-4,500) with respect to the previous quarter and the unemployment rate stood at 14.3%. In Gipuzkoa, unemployment fell by 3,100 standing at with 28,100 unemployed individuals, with the unemployment rate standing at 8.6%. In Álava, it increased by 5,000 individuals and the unemployment rate stood at 9.9%.
According to EUROSTAT, The Statistical Office of the European Union, in May 2012 the overall unemployment rate of the European Union-27 stood at 10.3% and that of Spain stood at 24.6%.
In the last year the number of unemployed individuals rose by 8,100 in the Basque Country
The population in work in the Basque Country fell by 28,900 in relation to the second quarter of 2011, -1.7 percentage points. This fall was mainly concentrated amongst men, with 26,500 less jobs, whilst the number of women in work was down by 2,400.
The unemployment rate in the last year rose by 1 percentage point (from 10.9% to 11.9%), meaning that 8,100 more people where added to the unemployment situation in the Basque Country compared with data from the second quarter of 2011. By province, in Álava the unemployment rate was up 2.5 percentage points, in Bizkaia it rose by 1 point, whilst in Gipuzkoa the unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points in comparison with the same quarter of 2011.
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)