According to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on Tuesday, the Canary Islands registered a total of 159,498 unemployed individuals in October. This figure represents an increase of 828 people, or 0.52%, compared to the previous month. However, it also marks a year-on-year decrease of 13,672 people, or -7.9%, when compared to October 2023.
Breaking down the data by province, in Las Palmas, the number of unemployed individuals reached 82,329 last month. This was a marginal increase of 34 people, or 0.04%, from September. Compared to October of the previous year, however, there were 7,811 fewer unemployed people, reflecting a drop of -8.67%.
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, unemployment affected 77,169 individuals in October, marking an increase of 794 people or 1.04% from September. Compared to October 2023, this represents a decrease of 5,861 people, or -7.06%.
Out of the total 159,498 unemployed in the Canary Islands, 2,651 are in the agricultural sector, where unemployment has actually decreased by 49 people over the past month. The industrial sector saw a slight increase, with 5,837 unemployed, up by 51 people. In construction, unemployment fell by 110 people, bringing the total to 14,114. The services sector recorded an increase of 358 unemployed individuals, totalling 123,579.
Additionally, there were 13,317 people classified as unemployed with no previous employment experience, a category that saw an increase of 578 individuals, primarily those aged 44 and above.
In October, the Canary Islands recorded a total of 72,218 new employment contracts. This is an increase of 9,440 contracts, or 15.04%, compared to September, and 8,652 more contracts than in October 2023, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 13.61%. Of these contracts, 31,265 were permanent, representing a monthly increase of 12.73% and an annual increase of 8.95%. The remaining 40,953 were temporary contracts, which saw monthly and annual increases of 16.86% and 17.44%, respectively.
Breaking down contract types by sector, 1,120 contracts were signed in agriculture, 2,288 in industry, 3,293 in construction, and a substantial 65,517 in the services sector.
In September, there were 26,007 applications for unemployment benefits in the Canary Islands. Of these, 21,835 were processed within an average time of 0.54 days.
In terms of financial assistance, there were 89,487 beneficiaries of unemployment aid in the Canary Islands, with a total expenditure of 93.7 million euros. This resulted in an average monthly benefit of 962.8 euros per recipient.
