Spain records worst yearly unemployment figures since 2013 but there are some successes

SPAIN’S employment crisis reared its head again as the country registered the worst end-of-year employment data since 2013.

The figures released by the country’s National Institute for Statistics (INE), on Thursday, January 26 showed a loss of 87,900 jobs between September and December 2022. During 2022, 278,900 jobs were created but the huge job losses recorded have damaged the country’s overall employment rate.

Unemployment in Spain now stands at 12.87 per cent, with more than three million unemployed people in the country. The rise is partially due to an almost-standstill in job creation which fell to just 1.38 per cent of positions in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Many of the jobs that were lost during 2022 were in the hospitality industry due to inflation and in the agricultural industry due to a bad harvest.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Experts say inflation caused the dip in job offers as companies raced to cut costs, signalling a possible end to the crisis in coming months as inflation is brought back under control. Employment also increased in some sectors during 2022, including for foreign residents and women.