Press Release 19/01/2018
The population in work increased by 0.1% and the unemployment rate fell to 11.1% in the fourth quarter of 2017 in the Basque Country
Last year there were 16,300 fewer unemployed individuals
The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the fourth quarter of 2017 showed a figure of 915,100 individuals in work, which is an increase of 900 compared with the previous quarter (+0.1%), according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate of the Basque Country stood at 11.1%, four percentage points down on the third quarter of 2017.
As a result of the change in the working and unemployed population, the activity rate was 56% in the fourth quarter of 2017, 0.3 percentage points below that of the previous quarter.
The province that saw the greatest increase was Bizkaia, with 2,000 more individuals in work. In Gipuzkoa there was no change compared to the previous quarter, whereas in Álava there were 1,300 less. In the capitals, the number of individuals in work increased by 1,400 in Bilbao, whereas in the other two Basque capitals there was a decrease: 300 fewer individuals in work in Donostia/San Sebastian and 1,100 fewer in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
As far as gender was concerned, the increase in the number of individuals in work affected women most, with 6,900 more in work than in the previous quarter, whilst the number of men in work decreased by 6,200.
Construction was the only sector where employment increased
The employed population in the Basque Country increased by 1,900 in the Construction sector, while in the rest of the sectors there was a slight decrease: 100 less in the services Sector, 400 in industry and 700 in the Primary sector
The employment rate, calculated as the percentage of people in work aged 16 to 64 over the total for these ages, rose by 2 tenths compared to the previous quarter, standing at 66.7%. This figure reached 69.8% for men and 63.6% for women.
By province, the highest employment rate turned out to be that of Gipuzkoa, with 68.6%, and a fall of one tenth compared to the previous quarter. Álava came second with 66.9% and a fall of three tenths and, finally, Bizkaia, where the employment rate rose by six tenths, to stand at 65.5%.
Households without active individuals were up by 2,800
In the fourth quarter of 2017 it was estimated that there were 878,200 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, 300 families more than the previous quarter; furthermore, households where all active individuals were unemployed stood at 40,100, 1,800 households fewer than in the previous quarter.
The unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, four tenths less than the previous quarter
The unemployed population in the Basque country, that is, resident individuals who are seeking employment, actively making enquiries and available for work, was estimated to be 113,800 in the fourth quarter of the year, 5,100 fewer than the previous quarter. The number of unemployed women, 55,900 individuals, was down by 6,400, whilst the number of unemployed men rose by 1,400, reaching a total of 58,000 for the quarter.
The data for the fourth quarter of 2017 revealed an unemployment rate of 11.1%, 4 percentage points less than the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate rose to 10.8% (up 0.4 percentage points) and the female rate was down 1.3 points, standing at 11.4%. The youth unemployment rate continued to be the highest, at 17.1%, with a decrease of 4.5 percentage points, affecting 6,000 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 Gipuzkoa and Álava (-2,500 individuals), but Gipuzkoa was the province that had the lowest unemployment rate, standing at 8.4%, 7 tenths less than the previous quarter. In Álava, with 16,600 individuals out of work, the unemployment rate stood at 10.8%, 1.3 percentage points less. In Bizkaia, there were 200 fewer unemployed individuals than the previous quarter and the unemployment rate remained the same. As far as the capitals are concerned, the greatest decrease in unemployment was in Vitoria-Gasteiz (-1.300), followed by Donostia/San Sebastián, with 900 less unemployed individuals. However, in Bilbao the number of unemployed individuals rose by 500.
According to EUROSTAT, the Statistical Office of the European Union, in November 2017 the unemployment rate of the European Union-28 stood at 7.3% and that of Spain stood at 16.7%.
Last year, the number of people in work increased and the unemployment rate fell by 1.5 percentage points, from 12.6% to 11.1%
The employed population in the Basque Country has grown in relation to the fourth quarter of 2016 by 12,300 people, a 1.4% growth in which there are 6,500 more employed women and 5,700 more employed men.
The unemployment rate was down by 1.5 percentage points (from 12.6% to 11.1%), with 16,300 fewer individuals unemployed in the Basque Country compared to the data from the fourth quarter of 2016.
98.4% of average registered workers were in work, according to ILO criteria
It is estimated that there were 852,100 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 98.4% were employed, according to criteria from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a total of 838,800 individuals.
Amongst those employed according to ILO criteria in the PRA, 67,500 people, 7.4%, were not registered in the Social Security system, either because they did not work for companies based in the Basque Country, or they belonged to public mutual societies for civil servants, or were in other situations.
29% of those unemployed were not registered as unemployed with the Basque Employment Institute (Lanbide)
It is estimated that there was a quarterly average of 116,200 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, 67% were unemployed according to the ILO definition (77,800 unemployed individuals). Of the individuals unemployed according to the ILO definition in the PRA, 29% were not registered as unemployed with Lanbide (33,000 individuals), even though they may be registered under other categories.
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