Simon Wade
UNEMPLOYMENT in the Vega Baja area of Alicante Province has increased by over 28% in the last 13 years.
But four of the area’s largest towns have shown increases of over 30% during that time.
Guardamar del Segura, Almoradi and Torrevieja lead the way, with Orihuela close behind.
Only one of the 27 municipalities, Bigastro, has seen a slight drop in the number of unemployed over that time.
Figures were released as part of a ‘Workers’ Commissions of Bajo Vinalopó-Vega Baja’ report, out this week.
They show the general trend across the region is an increase that started at the beginning of the Spanish economic crisis in 2008.
Bigastro, the only town to buck the trend, did so by recording a decrease in unemployed people from 695 in 2008 to 686 in October 2021.
In the whole region, unemployment has increased from 24,611 to 31,624.
Records show that among all Vega Baja towns, those below are the most affected by long-term unemployment.
| Town | 2008 unemployed | 2021 unemployed | % increase |
| Torrevieja | 7,188 | 9,385 | 30.5 |
| Orihuela | 4,730 | 5,954 | 25.9 |
| Almoradí | 1,768 | 2,319 | 31.2 |
| Guardamar | 809 | 1,261 | 55.8 |
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