This 2022 discard closing and resistance labor market, in the context of war in Europe and its highest inflation in 40 years, surprised more than one. Spain ends the year with the highest employment level in the entire historical series and the lowest unemployment level since 2007. Absolutely indisputable headlines, but one that also does not hide various alarm signals under its territory. The year as a whole has been a year of growth, but recently there has been an alarming slowdown for next year.
The data leaves bittersweet traces. labor reform What Recruitment conditions continue to improve, although the ‘end of the month’ effects continue to be devastating and there are several ongoing disparities between genders and ages. The self-employed group is now dead and we’ll have to see how the new listing rules that are already in effect fit in. These are the keys to the membership data released this Tuesday by the Ministries of Labor and Social Security.
Employment: Slowing but reaching record levels at year’s end
Like a long-distance runner who slumps several meters behind him at top speed, Spain has reached the end of 2022 with its tongue sticking out. Although he has a work record in his pocket. in total 20.29 million workers registered with Social Security, which is the highest number of statistics available. However, the vitality that the labor market started into 2022 has not been able to sustain it in the last run of his career after adding record after record two years since the disastrous covid outbreak in March 2020.
The labor market is soaring in the number of employed people – especially 471,360 more people are employed than a year ago – and also in their qualifications – for the time being. 2022 was the year of labor reform and left its mark. 11.2 million final contracts were signed in Spain, almost six million less than before the reform. In contrast, another five million people signed up permanent contracts, up to a total of seven million. Some exorbitant numbers from a German or French perspective, but these reflect the first clear change in trend in Spain in decades.
Unemployment: lowest rate since 2007
Spain’s eternal pending export rate is to reduce its rate. unemployment, one of the highest in Europe. in total 2.8 million people they still want to work and cannot. The lowest figure since 2007 in Spain, although high compared to the rest of the ‘Old Continent’. In the last 12 months, Sepe recorded the best closure of the year, reducing the number of unemployed by 268,252 people. the general uncertainty of the last decade and a half.
These good data on global evolution do not hide a permanent truth. gender inequality that’s at the level of unemployment that 2022 hasn’t fixed. There are more than half a million unemployed women than men, although they are more numerous in the labor market as a whole. And it is because this gradual overall decline in unemployment benefits both groups, but men are the easiest to re-enter the labor market. Among them, unemployment fell by 10.5% last year, compared to 7.3% among women.
How will employment develop in 2023?
The prospects for the next year are unstable and depend on the author of the same article. While the government expects significant growth compared to pre-pandemic periods, other institutions, such as Bank of Spainit predicts more conservative and positive but significantly more moderate developments.
This latest organization to revise its latest forecasts, hours worked 0.5% through 2023. A figure that visualizes a significant slowdown compared to an estimated 4.1% increase for 2022. Likewise, the Bank of Spain goes so far as to predict a slight increase in the unemployment rate from the current 12.8% to 12.9. %
More optimistic is the Government, which has included a $100 million job growth forecast in their budget. 2.9% until 2023. GDP and this will increase the total number of workers employed to 21 million workers; a new historical record.
And between the two estimates are others, such as the temporary employment agency. RandstadAgrees that employment will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace than the executive predicted. According to his calculations, two out of every three companies will increase their workforce and will close the year 2023 with 20.6 million jobs and an unemployment rate of 13.2%.
Self-employment slowdown
mode self-employmentDespite the effects of the pandemic for the last two years, it managed to increase the number of its members and closed the year 2023 with a resounding pause. So much so that in December 2022, only five more were self-employed than the total of 3.32 million self-employed in December 2021.
This Trade The sector that suffers the most from self-employed workers in 2022. So much so that in the last year, nearly 19,000 such businesses have disappeared. On the contrary, dedicated self-employed scientific activities (+7.064), at health (+4.531) and building (+3,999) compensated for this loss.
Catalonia closed 2022 worse than Madrid
Catalonia Despite multiple economic upheavals from war, inflation or the lingering effects of the pandemic, it closed 2022 with employment growth and a decline in unemployment. With better data than in pre-pandemic 2019. By the end of the year, 96,649 more people were employed in the four Catalan provinces, reaching a total of 3.6 million Catalans registered with Social Security. Despite the campaign, it is the highest employment figure recorded to date. Christmas As in recent years it was bad for the occupation.
In interregional comparison, Catalonia lags behind the other economic locomotive of the Peninsula: Madrid. State capital closed 2022 with a 3.9% increase in employed persons compared to 2.75% in Catalonia. Again, Canary Islands (+5.2%) and Balearic Islands (+3.95%) Autonomous communities have seen the best results as both the service sector and more specifically the hospitality sector have recovered following the end of the latest covid restrictions and the re-activation of international tourism.