This month, Social Security faces a dip in active contributors, with projections showing the month will close about 187,000 below the long-term average. Engagement is expected to add roughly 65,000 affiliates when seasonally adjusted figures are applied, based on data released this Wednesday by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration.
This would mark the largest August setback since 2019, a year when nearly 213,000 affiliates were lost. In August 2021, the average membership declined by 118,000, while 2020 saw a rise of 6,822 due to the lifting of restrictions.
Nevertheless, the portfolio led by José Luis Escrivá notes that the 65,000 seasonally adjusted contributions exceed the August average for the 2017–2019 period, and the overall membership trend remains positive, showing a smaller decline than pre-pandemic levels, which stood near 199,000.
With the August data in hand, Social Security will add 340,000 new occupations and 700,000 more since January, aiming to restore pre-pandemic levels within the current year.
Across sectors, the Ministry emphasizes a stronger recovery in high value-added activities such as information technology and communications (up 17.1%), education (up 12.3%), and professional, scientific, and technical activities (up 9.2%).
At the autonomous community level, membership growth has been widespread, with Valencia, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands posting gains above 5%.
Social Security continues to link membership growth to the impact of the labor reform, which has shown about 12 percentage points more than in previous years, reflected in 81% of permanent contracts registered in August. Additionally, 34% of indefinite contracts involved workers under 30, a share that rose from 2015–2021 to 65% this August.
In total, there are 1.6 million more affiliates with uncertain contracts than in the pre-pandemic period.
The Ministry reported this Wednesday that the rise in contribution income through July outpaced the increase in pensions by more than 2 percentage points.
Contributor numbers continue to fall for those on the Temporary Employment Regulation Files (ERTE), according to the Escrivá portfolio. Data show ERTE currently accounts for 15,435 workers for Economic, Technical, Organizational or Production reasons, 1,293 due to force majeure, and 830 workers under the sectoral RED mechanism in travel agencies.
Escrivá took to his Twitter account to note another month of sustained job dynamism. He commented that mid-month data point to a seasonally adjusted increase of 65,000 in August, that 340,000 jobs have been created so far this year, and that membership in 2022 remains aligned with pre-pandemic trends, a positive signal for employment. He added that the August growth pace exceeds the rate seen from January through July 2022. (Source: Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration)