Unemployment figure stood at 13.8% in the first quarter of 2013

The data from the labour market in the Basque Country from the first quarter of 2013 showed that there were 888,300 people in work, which was a net increase of 2,500 compared with the previous quarter (+0.3%), according to Eustat data. On the other hand, the unemployment rate for the Basque Country stood at 13.8%, one percentage point up on the fourth quarter of 2012.

As a result of the evolution in the employed and unemployed population, the activity rate stood at 55.1% in the first quarter of 2013, one percentage point up on the previous quarter.

As far as gender was concerned, the rise in employment had a greater effect upon women, with 2,600 more in work than in the previous quarter, whilst the number of men in work fell by 100. The province that saw the biggest rise in employment was Álava with 3,300 more net employed, followed by Bizkaia with 1,400 more and, lastly, in Gipuzkoa the number of individuals in work fell by 2,100.

Rise concentrated in services

The net losses in the number of people employed in construction and industry, which stood at 2,900 and 3,800 individuals, respectively, was compensated by the rises in the services sector of 8,600 and in agriculture of 600.

The employment rate, the percentage of people in work aged 16 to 64 over the total for these ages, was up by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, standing at 61.8%. This figure stood at 65.5% for men and 58% for women.

By province, the highest employment rate turned out to be that of Gipuzkoa, with 64% and a decrease of 0.3 percentage point compared to the previous quarter; this was followed by Álava, with 62.4% and an increase of 1.3 points; lastly, Bizkaia had the lowest rate, with 60.3% and a rise of 0.6 percentage points on the last quarter.

The number of salaried individuals with a permanent contract rose, and stood at 565,700, whilst those on a temporary contract or without a contract brought the total for this group down to 157,100.

In 5.4% of households all active individuals were unemployed

In the first quarter of 2013 it was estimated that there were 866,500 households in the Basque Country (7,900 more than the previous quarter) a third of which did not have any active individuals. In just over half of households, all of the active individuals were in work, 1,700 families less than the previous quarter; furthermore, households where all active individuals were unemployed stood at 46,400 (5.4% of the total).

Unemployment rate rose from 12.8% to 13.8%

The unemployed population in the Basque Country, that is, individuals who are available for work, actively making enquiries and seeking employment, was estimated to be 142,400 in the first quarter of the year, 12,200 up on the previous quarter. The number of unemployed men, 81,700 individuals, increased by 9,600, whilst the number of unemployed women was up by 2,200, reaching a total of 60,700 in the quarter.

The data for the first quarter of 2013 revealed an unemployment rate of 13.8%, one point higher than the previous quarter. The male unemployment rate rose to 14.7% (1.5 percentage points up) and the female rate was up 0.4 points, reaching 12.8%. The youth unemployment rate continued to be the highest, and stood at 41.3%, affecting 15,900 active young people between the ages of 16 and 24.

By province, the greatest increase in the number of people out of work was in Bizkaia (+5,400 individuals) where the unemployment rate stood at 15.8%. In Gipuzkoa, with 36,000 individuals out of work, the number of unemployed rose by 4,700, with the unemployment rate standing at 11.1%. In Álava, there were 2,200 more unemployed individuals than the previous quarter and the unemployment rate stood at 12.6%.

According to EUROSTAT –The Statistical Office of the European Union-, in February 2013 the unemployment rate of the European Union-27 stood at 10.9% and that of Spain stood at 26.3%.

Over the last year, 16,800 individuals were added to the unemployment figures in the Basque Country

The population in work in the Basque Country was down over the last 12 months, that is, the first quarter of 2013 compared to the first quarter of 2012, by 24,000 individuals, equivalent to -2.6%. This decrease occurred mainly amongst men, with 18,600 fewer in work, whilst for women the figure for those in work was down by 5,400.

The unemployment rate in the last year increased by 1.7 percentage points (from 12.1% to 13.8%), with 16,800 individuals being added to the unemployment figures of the Basque Country over the course of the year. By province, the unemployment figure increased by 5.8 percentage points in Álava and 1.7 points in Gipuzkoa, whilst in Bizkaia it was up by 0.6 points over the last twelve months.