The coronavirus pandemic had a strong impact on the economy of the province of Alicante, where it managed to emerge quite successfully despite the later setbacks in the form of inflation and the complex international context created by the war in Ukraine. Employment also recovered, reaching previously unknown figures. The surprising thing about this is that it is the public sector that has pulled the most from the occupation, to the point where it currently has 34,300 more jobs than in 2019.. Factors such as formalized contracts to deal with the health crisis in health and social services and workforce placement plans that were later implemented with the support of the European Union (EU) have had a direct impact on this. to increase. But the same did not happen in the private sector, as the private sector was only able to add 6,500 employees as a result of the economic uncertainty that continued to suppress activity during the same period.
The latest data published by the Valencian Statistical Institute based on the Active Population Survey (EPA) show that In the last quarter of last year, there were 696,300 employees and salaried people in the province of Alicante.The year 2019, which corresponds to an increase of 40 thousand 800 compared to the same period of 2019, is before the pandemic. The curious thing about the case is that after the sharp drop in occupancy recorded during this timeframe and during the hardest times of covid, The strongest employment was public employment, growing from 114,800 employees to 148,900, representing a 30% increase. But the private sector has evolved much more cautiously, jumping from 540,900 employees to 547,400, representing only 1%. Only in the last quarter of 2022 private employment outperformed public employment, which should be attributed to the Christmas season and increased activity in sectors such as hospitality or commerce.
In terms of commitment to SSI, yes, private employment is better in the 2019-2022 comparison., because it posted a 7.8% increase, leaving the overall figure at 624,055 participants. Public employment increased by 20% to 84,497.
While seeking explanation for what has happened over the past three years, Rocío Briones, Director-General of Employment and Education, referring to the reinforcements in health, social services and education amid a pandemic, adds:the regional government’s commitment to providing citizens with increasingly stronger public services and programs to enable the most disadvantaged groups, such as women, youth or over 55, to join the workforce.” However, Briones emphasizes that this increase in public employment is also aligned with private employment, “Therefore, we are currently at historical occupancy figures. Despite all that has fallen and continues to fall, It has been shown that we have a resilient economy and that our companies know how to endure.‘ he emphasizes.
Unions also express themselves in similar terms. Yaissel Sánchez, UGT secretary of l’Alacantí-Les Marines, “As a result of Covid, everything that needs to be done regarding the care of citizens has been strengthened.while active employment policies increase. And this is a bet that must be insisted upon, although it always seeks a balance with the private.”
Paco García, CC OO’s secretary for the same regions, underlines the radical change compared to when Rajoy came to power. “The strategy of liquidating the public to strengthen the private has had very negative effects. Now, thanks to the pressure from the EU, we are still at opposite points, but we still have the situation. There is still a long way to go to reach the European average.‘ he emphasizes.
If from the private sector to justify lower job creation in economic uncertainty and higher production costs situation that companies have to endure. Both Luis Rodríguez, president of the Alicante State Federation of Metal Companies (Fempa) and Marián Cano, Valencia Shoe Entrepreneurs Association (Avecal), stress that activity has not fully recovered. Evidence of this is a survey conducted by Avecal among its subsidiaries, which reveals that only 14% of companies expect to increase their turnover by between 5% and 6% this year, while 25% are targeting 1%. “The industry maintains its moderate growth forecasts and is generally cautious for 2023, as it faces the current volatility of the markets with uncertainty and apprehension,” Cano said. ongoing instability in raw material and energy prices“.
Technicians and skilled workers are the highest risers.
Technicians and skilled workers are profiles with greater employment growth in both the public and private sectors, confirming the recent trend in the need for increasingly prepared workers. In the case of private activity, the number of technicians increased from 98,600 to 103,200, from 275,400 skilled workers in 2019 to 281,600 at the end of 2022. The number of employees in the public sector increased from 22,200 to 39,600 in the first section, and from 62,500 to 77,000 in the second section. mv