For the first time in its history, Spain has surpassed the 21 million members to Social Security after creating 199,538 jobs in April, which denotes a lower dynamism in the labor market than last year (past because in 2023 Easter fell in this month), but higher than that recorded on average in this same month in the years prior to the pandemic.
As reported this Monday by the Ministry headed by Elma Saiz, this pull of the seasonal employment allowed to register 21,101,505 affiliations to the system, historical record, although it must be taken into account that it is not a figure equivalent to the number of people working in the country, because those who have more than one job are registered with one affiliation for each employment relationship.
The interannual evolution, however, shows a growth of 486,516 affiliates or the 2,36%, the slowest pace since 2014 without taking into account the year of the pandemic.
As always happens this month, the hospitality was responsible for 47% of all jobs created, since bars and restaurants – especially in tourist areas – begin to staff up in the spring to attend to the flow of travelers who visit those areas on long weekends and weekends, and already accumulate workers before the difficulties in hiring in the summer arrive. due to the increase in demand and the low supply of available employees.
Total, 91.913 of the positions salaried created were in this sector, followed very far by administrative activities and auxiliary services (with 15,074 new jobs) and commerce (with 11,549 more affiliates).
The job autonomous It also grew in April, in 11,987 self-employed workersbeing the hospitality again the sector that registered the most openings (2,814 new businesses). In total, the country counted 3,364,938 self-employed workers, the highest number for an April since 2008.
Proof that it was seasonal employment linked to tourism that pulled the labor market in April is the geographical distribution of the positions created, since and 65% they concentrated on Balearics (with 55,155 more members), Andalusia (with 41,365) and Catalonia (33,089). These same three autonomous communities were the ones that created the most jobs in April of last year.
35% for foreigners
Although most of the employment created was in the services sector (170,118 new affiliates), it also grew in agriculture, livestock and fishing (with 16,744 more), in industry (+7,307) and in construction (+5,369).
If the data is analyzed by gender, it is observed that despite the increase in female membership – which for a good part of the month was above 10 million -, in average terms April closed with 9.99 million women working and 11.1 million men.
Of the jobs created in the month, and 35% were occupied by foreign workers, which already exceed 2.8 million, the equivalent of 13.3% of the total members.
2.66 million unemployed
The Ministry of Labor reported, for its part, the registered unemployment in the offices of the State Public Employment Service (Sepe), which fell by 60,503 people -the second smallest reduction in the last decade for the month of April, only behind that of 2021 and not counting 2020, when it was triggered by the pandemic-.
Thus, the number of unemployed registered in the Sepe offices stood at 2.666.500 personas, the lowest figure recorded since September 2008, with reductions in unemployment in all sectors (services, industry, construction, agriculture and even the group of people without previous employment).
The data seasonally adjustedused to see how employment fluctuates if the cycle and seasonality are not taken into account, show that employment would have grown in April even without the jobs that are usually created linked to tourism in this month, with an increase of 40,677 workers .
Unemployment, for its part, would have been reduced by 27,748 people.