Unemployment falls in October at 734 people, the first decline in this month in more than 40 years

Unemployment fell by 734 people in the month of October (-0.02%), the first time in 46 years that unemployment fell in this month, according to data published this Wednesday by the offices of the State Public Employment Service (SEPE). The unemployment rate in Spain, in any case, continues at around 14%, the worst in the EU alongside Greece.

This is an exceptional figure, since October is usually a month in which unemployment increases after the end of the high season in an economy such as Spain, which is largely dependent on tourism. In this way, they are chained eight months in a row by falls.

Unemployment, moreover, has fallen in all sectors except agriculture, which has registered an increase of 7,577 people (5.10%), accusing the seasonality of the activity. Taking the past eight months as a reference, the number of unemployed has fallen in all sectors, according to the EDPS.

According to the same data, membership, net of seasonality and the calendar effect, has grown by 102,474 workers compared to the previous month, thanks to the pull of services and especially the hospitality industry.

Female unemployment has been reduced by 3,660 (-0.19%) women to a total of 1,928,579, while male unemployment has increased by 2,926 people (0.22%) to a total of 1,328,489. Under-25s accounted for 5,867 persons (2.34 per cent) of the previous month and stood at over 33 per cent.

Spain is once again leading the youth unemployment rate with Greece for another month.

Unemployment has fallen in eight autonomous communities. The most important declines are in Madrid (-9,851 people), the Canary Islands (-5,242 people), Castile and Leon (-2,774 people) and the Valencian Community (-2,542 people).

At the other end of the table, unemployment has risen during the month of October in Andalusia (8,600 people), the Balearic Islands (2,653) and Castilla-La Mancha (2,610 people).

In addition, the Social Security has registered 190,718 people protected by a Temporary Employment Regulation File (ERTE) at the end of October, which is 48,512 less than in September and a new minimum.

According to the provisional data provided by the Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security, compared to the last day of September there was a decrease of 48,512 people in ERTE if the date of notification is taken into account, and if you consider the date of discharge the decrease was 43,329 people.