In July, unemployment in the Canary Islands experienced a notable decline, with 972 fewer individuals registered as unemployed. This reduction, representing a 0.59% drop compared to the previous month, has brought the total number of unemployed persons in the archipelago down to 163,488, according to data released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy.
Year-on-year comparisons reveal an even more significant decrease, with 8,995 fewer unemployed individuals, translating to a 5.22% reduction. Despite Las Palmas maintaining the highest number of unemployed at 84,970, the province saw a reduction of 489 individuals (-0.57%). Santa Cruz de Tenerife also registered a decline, with 483 fewer unemployed persons (-0.61%), bringing its total to 78,518.
Women continue to dominate the unemployment figures in the Canary Islands, with 94,447 unemployed women compared to 69,041 men. Among those under 25, the number of unemployed stands at 8,079. The drop in unemployment spans all sectors, with the most significant reduction observed among those without previous employment, decreasing by 417 to 12,547.
The construction sector saw unemployment fall by 225 individuals to 14,544, while the services sector, which remains the largest with 127,461 unemployed, saw a decrease of 188 people. Industry and agriculture experienced reductions of 109 and 33 unemployed individuals, respectively, totalling 6,008 in industry and 2,928 in agriculture.
In terms of contracting, the Canary Islands recorded 69,022 contracts in July, marking an increase of 14,450 contracts compared to June (+26.48%). Year-on-year, the number of contracts rose by 9,577 (+16.11%). Of these, 28,612 were permanent, reflecting an increase of 4,912 (+20.73%), while the remaining 40,410 were temporary, showing a rise of 9,538 (+30.90%).
Nationally, Spain saw a reduction in unemployment by 10,830 individuals in July, a 0.42% decrease from the previous month, bringing the total number of unemployed to 2,550,237, the lowest figure since September 2008. This decrease is similar to the reduction observed in the same month of the previous year and stands in contrast to the rise in July 2022 when unemployment increased by 3,230 people. However, it does not surpass the dramatic decline of July 2021, when the return to normality post-pandemic led to a record drop of 197,841 unemployed.
Seasonally adjusted figures for July show a reduction of 12,378 individuals. Over the past year, unemployment in Spain has decreased by 127,637, a 4.77% reduction. Male unemployment has dropped by 48,898 (-4.62%), and female unemployment by 78,739 (-4.86%). Unemployment fell across almost all sectors compared to June, except for construction, which saw a slight increase of 508 individuals (+0.26%).
The largest monthly decline was in the services sector, with 6,591 fewer unemployed (-0.36%), followed by agriculture with a decrease of 1,534 (-1.68%). Industry saw a reduction of 289 unemployed (-0.14%), and those without previous employment decreased by 2,924 individuals (-1.22%).
Unemployment rates varied across Spain’s autonomous communities, falling in seven and rising in ten. Andalusia recorded the largest absolute decrease (-15,965), while Catalonia saw the highest increase (+2,317). Among foreigners, unemployment fell by 6,182 (-1.8%), bringing the total to 336,558, which is 1,525 fewer than a year earlier (-0.45%).
In July, Spain registered 1,521,516 contracts, a 6.3% increase from the same month in 2023. Of these, 589,007 were permanent contracts, a 3.98% increase from the previous year. Expenditure on unemployment benefits reached €1,746.99 million in June 2024, up 3.2% from June 2023. The average monthly expenditure per beneficiary was €1,049.6, an increase of €28.4 (+2.8%). At the end of June, the total number of benefit recipients stood at 1,699,873 (+0.3% year-on-year), with a coverage rate of 70.94%.
These detailed figures highlight the ongoing improvements and challenges within the job market in the Canary Islands and across Spain. The decrease in unemployment brings hope, but the varying rates across sectors and demographics underscore the complexities of the labour market recovery.
