Jobless figures rise again in August

Jobless figures broke a six-month streak and went up again in August. The unemployment services registered 8,070 new jobless claims, to reach a total of 4,427,930 people, according to the Labor Ministry.

August also saw 97,582 fewer contributors to the Social Security system, a fact that can be explained by seasonal factors, given that many temporary education and health contracts came to an end last month.

Seasonally adjusted figures shows only 2,298 fewer contributors, much more in line with the incipient economic recovery.

Broken down by sectors, jobs declined most significantly in the education sector (49,765 fewer workers, for a 7.86% drop) followed by industry (a 1.22% drop) and healthcare (-1.45%). Meanwhile, jobs grew 1.74% in the hotel and restaurant sector.

Compared with August 2013, unemployment declined by 270,853 people, representing the biggest year-on-year fall in the statistical historical series, according to the ministry. Meanwhile, the workforce grew by 321,833 people compared with August 2013, the first time that August has posted an upward trend since the crisis began.

State secretary for social security Tomás Burgos underscored that “this balance allows our mid-term expectations for job creation to remain intact.”