Unemployment figures

Update 4 June: The Canaries was the only autonomous region of Spain, apart from the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa, where unemployment went up in May, rising 0.28% from April’s figures, a further 538 people out of work. The number of unemployed in these islands now stands at 296,362. May’s increase is divided fairly equally between the provinces but again slightly worse for the eastern one: 229 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 309 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The total unemployed in each province is 138,884 in the SCdT, and 157,478 in LPdGC.

Update 6 May: The figures in the previous post below were for the first quarter of 2013, i.e. up to the end of March. Now, April’s figures have been released and show it has gone up in the Canaries yet again, a further 1.42%, equating to 4.152 more people out of work, the largest rise of any of the Spanish autonomous regions.

Also up is the figure of those who are beyond the end of their help and in receipt of no income whatsoever. There are now a further 4,350 people in that situation, a total of 130,314 – that’s 130,314 people on no assistance at all. Nearly half – 44.68% – of the registered unemployed in the islands are without any income. How are these people supposed to live? It is worth noting, too, that Spain’s next budget has reduced the amount needed for unemployment benefit: the Government knows that there will be fewer people receiving paro as they fall off the end of their entitlement. The problem is that they’re not falling into a job.

Nationally, only the Canaries, the  Comunidad Valenciana, and the Ceuta and Melilla enclaves in north Africa, saw rises. Throughout Spain, it fell ever so slightly, less than 1% on average, but at least a fall, and brings the national figure back under the psychological 5 million barrier … only just, though, at 4,989,193.

Update 25 April: On the day when Spain’s unemployment statistics nationwide were officially announced to have hit a new record high of 27.2%, equating to six million people out of work, Canarian figures themselves were released showing 17,200 more unemployed in the islands during the first quarter of 2013, leading to an awful rate of 34.27% here, a total of 385,600 people out of work. Only Andalusia with 36.87 % and Extremadura with 35.56 % have worse figures throughout Spain.

Between the two Canarian provinces, Las Palmas has 209,100 unemployed, a rate of 35.24%, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife has 176,500, 33.18%. The regional statistics also show that two out of every three people out of work are now officially long-term unemployed: all 243,300 of these have been seeking work for more than a year. They also show that 118,000 households, 15% of the total, now have every single member out of work.

Update 4 March: And it has risen again. February’s figures released today show a further 1,957 people out of work in the Canaries, bringing the total unemployed in the islands to 291,474. The province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro) suffered more than Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote): in SCT, 1,163 more people are unemployed than in January, bringing the total to 136,767, whereas in LPGC, the number rose by 794, bringing the eastern province’s unemployed up to 154,707.

Update 4 February 2013: Up and up it goes. According to figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social, the number of unemployed registered in the Canaries has risen again, by 4,602 people out of work in January compared with December, a further rise of 1.6%. This brings the total of the unemployed in these islands to 289,517.

In Spain nationally, unemployment is now at a frightening 4,980,778.

Update 4 December: It seems that October’s fall in unemployment figures was a blip after all. November’s are now released, and show a further 1,212 out of work, leaving 289,032 unemployed in the islands as a whole.  Of those, appallingly, around 124,000 are beyond the end of their unemployment benefit, and indeed beyond the end of any additional help whatsoever. The figures mean that 43.04% of the unemployed are without any income at all. Nearly half. In a civilized first world country. Which is why some are questioning whether Spain deserves those labels.

Update 6 November: October’s figures show that unemployment has gone down in the Canaries by nearly a thousand, the biggest fall nationally. Whilst it’s good news for the moment, the year on year figures show that we had 30,000 more unemployed here this October than last. Let’s hope it continues, and that it’s not just a blip.

Original post 26 October: On the day that unemployment figures announced for the Canaries show that it has gone up yet again, with a further 7,400 out of work – there are now 378,200 unemployed in the islands, a rate of 33.69% – this youtube video has gone viral. Just enjoy!