Press Release 25/04/2017
The unemployment rate fell to 11.4%, and the employment rate increased by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2017 in the Basque Country
The unemployment rate decreased by more than three percentage points last year
The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the first quarter of 2017 showed that there were 909,400 people in work, which was an increase of 6,600 compared with the previous quarter (+0.7%), according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate of the Basque Country stood at 11.4%, 1.2 percentage points down on the fourth quarter of 2016.
As a result of the change in the working and unemployed population, the activity rate was 56% in the first quarter of 2017, 0.4 percentage points below that of the previous quarter.
In terms of gender, the increase in the number of individuals in work most affected men, with 4,400 more in work than the previous quarter, whilst the number of women in work rose by 2,100. The province that saw the greatest increase was Bizkaia, with 3,300 more, followed by Gipuzkoa with 2,600 more, while in Álava the figure was up by 600.
Industry is the sector in which employment grew the most
The population employed in industry reached 191,100 in the first quarter of 2017, 3,600 employees more than the previous quarter. It was the sector where the employment rate increased the most, followed by the services sector, with 2,400 more employees, and finally the primary sector, with 800. Construction is the only sector where employment saw a moderate fall (-200).
The employment rate, calculated as the percentage of people in work aged 16 to 64 over the total for these ages, rose by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, standing at 65.8%. This figure reached 69.3% for men and 62.4% for women.
By province, the highest employment rate turned out to be that of Gipuzkoa, with 67.6% and an increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. Álava came second with 66.3% and a decrease of 0.2 points compared to the previous quarter and, finally, Bizkaia, where the employment rate remained unchanged (64.6%).
The number of households where everyone was active and employed increased, and the number in which everyone was unemployed fell
In the first quarter of 2017 it was estimated that there were 877,500 households in the Basque Country, a third of which did not have any active individuals. In just over half of households, all of the active individuals were in work, 10,000 families less than the previous quarter; furthermore, households where all active individuals were unemployed stood at 39,800, 10,400 households fewer than in the previous quarter.
The unemployment rate fell to 11.4%, 1.2 percentage points less than the previous quarter
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 117,000 in the first quarter of the year, 13,100 down from the previous quarter. The number of unemployed men, 55,700 individuals, was down by 10,700, whilst the number of unemployed women fell by 2,400, reaching a total of 61,300 for the quarter.
The data for the first quarter of 2017 revealed an unemployment rate of 11.4%, 1.2 percentage points down on the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate fell to 10.4% (1.9 percentage points down) and the female rate was down 0.4 points, reaching 12.5%. The youth unemployment rate continued to be the highest, and stood at 23.2% (a decrease of 1.6 percentage points), affecting 9,600 active young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
By province, the greatest decrease in the number of people out of work was in Bizkaia (-7,300 individuals) where the unemployment rate stood at 12.7%, 1.3 percentage points down on the previous quarter. In Gipuzkoa, with 31,000 individuals out of work, the number of unemployed fell by 6,300, with the unemployment rate falling by 1.8 points to 9.3%. In Álava, there were 600 more unemployed individuals than the previous quarter and the unemployment rate was up 0.3 points (11.3%).
According to EUROSTAT – the Statistical Office of the European Union – in February 2017 the unemployment rate of the European Union-28 stood at 8 % and that of Spain stood at 18%.
Last year, the number of people in work increased and the number of people out of work decreased
The number of people in work in the Basque Country rose by 14,400 compared to the first quarter of 2016. This rise was mainly concentrated amongst men, with 9,100 more jobs, whilst the number of women in work was up by 5,200.
The unemployment rate was down by 3.1 percentage points (from 14.5% to 11.4%), with 34,400 fewer individuals unemployed in the Basque Country compared to the data from the first quarter of 2016.
97.9% of average registered workers were in work, according to ILO criteria
It is estimated that there were 844,600 registered workers for the quarter on average in the Basque Country, i.e. the number of individuals residing in the Basque Country who were registered for Social Security at the time of the survey. Of those, the PRA estimates that 97.9% were employed, according to criteria from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which totals 827,200 individuals.
Amongst those employed according to ILO criteria in the PRA, 73,500 people, 8.1%, were not registered for Social Security in companies based in the Basque Country, belong to public mutual societies for civil servants or are in other situations.
29.6% of those unemployed were not registered as unemployed with the Basque Employment Institute (Lanbide)
It is estimated that there was a quarterly average of 121,800 unemployed individuals registered with Lanbide, i.e. individuals residing in the Basque Country who were registered in Lanbide at the time of the survey in any one of the categories designated for registered unemployment. Of those, 64.4% were unemployed according to the ILO definition (78,500 unemployed individuals). Of the individuals unemployed according to the ILO definition in the PRA, 29.6% were not registered as unemployed with Lanbide (34,600 individuals), even though they may be registered under other categories.
METHODOLOGICAL NOTE: The 2016 data were revised on the basis of the population projections obtained based on the population on 1 January 2016.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62
Further press releases on survey on the population in relation to activity in the Basque Country (PRA)
Databank on survey on the population in relation to activity in the Basque Country (PRA)