The regions of Girona reach employment records and close the third quarter with 377,600 workers

2023-10-26 10:12:17

The Girona counties reach one new employment record and close the third quarter with 377,600 workers. It is the highest figure in the entire historical series, which goes back to the beginning of 2008. According to the latest Active Population Survey (EPA) published this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), among June and September the demarcation has created 12,200 jobs. As is traditional, most of the employed are concentrated in the service sector (269,200), also coinciding with the bulk of the tourist season. Despite this employment record, however, at the same time unemployment has increased slightly, and closes September with a rate of 9%. In the demarcation, there is 37,300 unemployed looking for work.

The latest Active Population Survey shows that, despite inflation and the price crisis, the regions of Girona close a record third quarter. Because between June and September the demarcation has reached a historic number of employed: specifically, 377,600 workers.

Throughout the entire historical series collected by the INE, which goes back to the beginning of 2008, this record had never been achieved before. To find a similar figure, you have to go back a year, to the second quarter of 2022 (when 375,200 were registered) or go to the pre-pandemic period (because behind these, the highest is that of the third quarter of 2019, when 366,100 employed were reached).

Compared to the second quarter of 2023, between June and September the demarcation has created 12,200 jobs. If you go back a year in the calendar, and the employed are contrasted with those in September 2022, they are 2,100 more.

This can be explained because during the winter the number of workers dropped to 355,400; and now, not only has that decline been recovered, but it has gone even further. It remains to be seen, in any case, if the economy of Girona hold this employment recordbecause the latest unemployment figures and the impact of the price crisis already anticipate that, during this last quarter of the year, it will go down again.

The majority, in the service sector

Either way, though, the data for this third quarter is good. And if the magnifying glass is passed by sector, the one that continues to lead the employment ranking is, again, the service sector (where tourism and trade are found). At the end of September, it had 269,100 workers. That’s 2,300 more compared to June, though 4,000 less in relation to the third quarter of last year.

In services, by mass of workers, it is followed by industry (73,300), construction (26,600) and agriculture (8,500). Although the latter two lose jobs during the third quarter – 3,200 in total – the creation of jobs in the industry is significant. Because between June and September, he has won up to 13,200.

Unemployment, slightly up

But if during this third quarter employment in Girona reaches records, the increase in employed people is not consistent with a decrease in unemployment. Because in the demarcation, the number of unemployed has risen slightly. According to the EPA, the unemployment rate in the territory went from 8.7% at the end of June to 9% at the end of September.

If this percentage is translated into figures, there are 37,300 unemployed people looking for work in the Girona regions. They are 2,200 more than there were at the end of the second quarter (35,100) but up to 8,000 more if the figure is compared with that of the same period last year, because in September 2022 in the demarcation there were 29,300 unemployed. And this, in retrospect, reflects that although employment has been created, the economic difficulties continue to take their toll on the Girona labor market.