Press Release 19/10/2012
The unemployment rate was down by 11.8% and the population in work fell by 1% in the third quarter of 2012 in the Basque Country
The active population decreased by 11,500 individuals due to both the population in work and the unemployed population falling by 9,100 and 2,400 individuals, respectively
The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the third quarter of 2012 showed a figure of 905,200 individuals in work, which is a net decrease of 9,100 compared with the previous quarter (-1%), according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate of the Basque Country stood at 11.8%, 0.1 percentage points up on the second quarter of 2012.
As a result of the change in the working and unemployed population, the activity rate was 54.7% in the third quarter of 2012, 0.7 percentage points below that of the previous quarter. The number of active individuals decreased by 11,500, with the active population standing at 1,025,800.
The decrease in employment affected above all women, with 6,700 more in work than the previous quarter, whilst the number of men in work fell by 2,400. Employment was down in two of the three provinces: in Bizkaia it fell by 6,800 individuals, followed by Gipuzkoa with 2,600 fewer; in Álava, conversely, the population in work increased by 200 individuals.
The population in work dropped in the services and industry sectors whereas it rose slightly in construction and agriculture
In the services sector the population in work decreased by 9,500 individuals, followed by industry, down by 1,200. However, there were 600 more individuals in work in construction and 1,000 in agriculture.
The employment rate, the percentage of individuals in work between the ages of 16 and 64, stood at 62.7%, 0.5 percentage points less than the previous quarter. This figure stood at 66.8% for men and 58.5% for women.
By province, the highest employment rate turned out to be that of Gipuzkoa, with 65.4% and a decrease of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous quarter; this was followed by Álava, with 64.3%, two tenths more. Bizkaia had the lowest rate, with 60.6%, seven tenths of a point less than the previous quarter.
The number of salaried individuals with a permanent contract fell by 7,700 and stood at 571,100, whilst those on a temporary contract (including those without contracts) fell by 3,600, totalling 173,200.
In the third quarter of 2012 it was estimated that there were 857,900 households in the Basque Country (800 more than the previous quarter) a third of which did not have any active individuals. In just over half of households, all of the active individuals were in work, 4,700 families less than the previous quarter; on the other hand, households where all active individuals were unemployed stood at 42,900 (5% of the total).
The unemployment rate fell from 11.9% to 11.8%
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 120,600 in the third quarter of the year, 2,400 less than the previous quarter. The number of unemployed women, 53,200 individuals, fell by 2,100, whilst the number of unemployed men decreased by 300, and stood at 67,400.
The data for the third quarter of 2012 revealed an unemployment rate of 11.8%, 0.1 points less than the previous quarter. The unemployment rate for women fell to 11.3% (0.2 percentage points lower) and the rate for men rose to 12.2% (0.1 percentage points higher). The youth unemployment figure continued to be the highest, increasing by 5.6 percentage points and standing at 36.4%, affecting 14,600 active young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
By province, the greatest decrease in the number of those out of work was in Bizkaia (-2,200 individuals) where the unemployment rate stood at 14.2%, which was the highest. In Gipuzkoa, with 27,400 unemployed individuals, unemployment fell by 700, and the unemployment rate stood at 8.5%. In Álava, unemployment was up by 500 individuals compared to the previous quarter, and the unemployment rate stood at 10.2%.
According to EUROSTAT –The Statistical Office of the European Union-, in August 2012 the unemployment rate of the European Union-27 stood at 10.5% and that of Spain stood at 25.1%.
In the last year the number of unemployed increased by 9,200 in the Basque Country.
The population in work in the Basque Country compared to the third quarter of 2011 fell by 33,400, -3.6%. This fall was mainly concentrated amongst men, with 22,400 less jobs, whilst the number of women in work was down by 11,000.
The unemployment rate increased by 1.2 percentage points (from 10.6% to 11.8%), with 9,200 more individuals added to the unemployment situation in the Basque Country compared to the data from the third quarter of 2011. By province, the unemployment rate increased by 3.3 percentage points; in Gipuzkoa it was up 1 point, and in Bizkaia it rose by 0.7 points compared to 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)