The Canary Islands have reached a significant milestone with nearly one million people employed, demonstrating substantial job creation and a remarkable reduction in unemployment, surpassing all other regions in Spain over the past year. This achievement stands as the legacy of the new government.
Despite doubts raised by parties such as the PP during the election campaign regarding the validity of these figures, the undeniable success of the labor reform approved under Pedro Sánchez’s Spanish government, notably spearheaded by Second Vice President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, becomes evident. Even with opposition from conservative forces, the reform received agreement from both employers and trade unions.
The recent data from the Labor Force Survey (EPA), released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), further supports these accomplishments. Employment in Spain has thrived, reaching a historical high of 21,056,700 employed individuals after adding 603,900 jobs in the second quarter of 2023, marking a 2.95% increase from the previous quarter. This growth has contributed to the employment rate rising to 52.13%, an increase of 1.35 points from the first quarter of the year.
For regions severely impacted by unemployment, like the Canary Islands, the EPA data holds particular significance. The archipelago experienced the most substantial annual reduction in unemployment, with a decrease of 25,200 individuals, surpassing other regions like Catalonia and Galicia.
Employment in the Canary Islands: effectiveness of the policies applied
The President of Nueva Canarias, Román Rodríguez, believes that these achievements serve as an endorsement of the economic policies implemented by the previous Canary Islands government, emphasizing the importance of the archipelago’s nearing accomplishment of one million employed individuals and a significant decline in the unemployment rate, which dropped from 17.1% to 15.25% in comparison to the previous quarter.
