Simon Hunter
THE SPANISH job market continued to perform well in the month of July, although job creation did start to slow slightly after a strong year so far. That’s according to the latest figures released on Wednesday by the Social Security Ministry.
A total of 22,000 new jobs were created in the seventh month of the year, breaking another new record for the number of workers: 20,891,000.
Unemployment, meanwhile, fell by 11,000 people compared to the previous month for a total of 2,677,000 jobseekers, its lowest level in 15 years. The level of unemployment in Spain has in fact been falling for the last five months.
In the last 12 months, a total of 550,000 jobs have been created in the Spanish labour market as the country continues to bounce back from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The slowdown in job creation compared to previous months of the year is due to three sectors in particular: agriculture, construction and education. In the latter sector many teachers’ contracts are cancelled with the end of the school year but they are then hired once more after the summer break.
A new labour reform introduced by the Socialist Party-led administration of now-caretaker prime minister Pedro Sanchez continues to have an effect. The legislation was aimed at improving work contracts and reducing the numbers of precarious temporary positions.
In the month of July, 40% of new contracts signed were indefinite, albeit a slight fall on the average of 45% seen so far in 2023.
Read more:
- Employment in Spain’s tourism sector hits record high in June
- Unemployment in Spain falls to lowest level since 2008
