Unemployment increases by 26,087 claims in September

The job market issued mixed signals in September. Unemployment rose, but so did the number of people signed up with the Social Security system, a measure of job creation.

Last month saw 26,087 new jobless claims, raising the number of unemployed on record to a total of 4,094,042 people.

But at the same time, 8,916 people began contributing to the welfare system, bringing the total number of contributors to 17,189,815.

September is traditionally a bad month for employment in Spain as the summer tourist season draws to a close

Seasonally adjusted figures are less contradictory, as they show a slight drop in unemployment (9,746) and a more marked rise in Social Security affiliations (around 35,000).

September is traditionally a bad month for employment in Spain as the summer tourist season draws to a close. But it is also typically a period when affiliations drop, a trend that was bucked both this and last year after holding true between 2008 and 2013.

The rise in contributors was to a large part down to the beginning of the school year, which triggered more hirings in education; this was followed by increases in the administrative activities and manufacturing sectors. Tourism, in the meantime, lost 48,449 contributors to the welfare system.

English version by Susana Urra.