The labor market records, far from improving, continue in free fall in the first month of this 2021, called to be that of the recovery of economic activity.
In this past month of January, the figures have a negative behavior. The number of affiliates to Social Security in January decreased again compared to the previous month, falling by 1.083 people, a decrease of 2,1%.
The seasonally adjusted series of affiliates also reflects a decrease in affiliation in January and the year-on-year variation stands at -2,71%, which means, in terms of people, a drop of 1.424 affiliates to Social Security in the last 12 months . The total number of affiliates thus stands at 51.149 people. And if we compare with the month of February, where we place the start of the Covid-19 crisis, we have a drop of 2.562 people in these eleven months.
The General Regime, where the majority of paid employees contribute, lost 950 affiliates and added a total of 32.034 taxpayers in January, 4,81% less than a year before and 2,9% less than last December. Membership in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA) -self-employed-, increased again this January compared to the same month of the previous year, + 2,50% and remained flat in the monthly rate (0,0%) , until reaching 16.968 affiliates.
Regarding the number of unemployed in the Marina Alta During the month of January, there has been an increase of 536 people, reaching a total of 14.439 unemployed, the highest figure in the last 4 years, this represents in relative terms the worst January since 2016. This annual growth to 14.493 unemployed represents an increase in interannual terms of 3.268 unemployed people, +29,25% (compared to January'20).
The percentage increases in the last year have been a little more intense for men. In both population groups, there are increases in unemployment, an increase of 27,81% in women and 31,12% in men, compared to January 2020. However, unemployment has grown more among women than Among men, as in December, and in this first month of the year, the number of unemployed women is higher (8.048 unemployed, 55,74%) than men (6.391 unemployed, 44,26%) .
If we analyze the productive sectors, the sectors most affected compared to the previous month (December '20) are Agriculture (+ 8,47%) and Services (+ 5,11%), although, in absolute terms, the impact is much greater in the tertiary (+547 unemployed) than in the primary (+20 unemployed). It is worth highlighting the fact that in the Construction sector the number of unemployed has been reduced by 2,30% (37 workers) compared to the last month of 2020.
However, if we look at year-on-year rates and compare the figures for this first month of 2021 with January 2020, the numbers are much more alarming. Thus, Agriculture has increased its number of unemployed by 35,45% (67 people), Construction, by 25,50% (319 people), Industry, by 25,41% (125 people) and Services, by 28,08 , 2.466% (XNUMX people).
By calculating the unemployment rate in the Marina Alta, it is observed that it has increased with respect to December, reaching an estimated unemployment rate of 22,01%.
Again, as in previous analyzes of the labor market, the evolution of the total number of ERTE must be known, another of the data that is relevant to evaluate the evolution of the labor market. The year began with 436 new temporary employment regulation files in force in the Marina Alta, which represents an increase of approximately 1.676 workers affected (there are around 3.558 ERTE requested accumulated since the beginning of the pandemic that has affected around 14.903 affiliates). As expected, the great weight of concessions is maintained in the activities of the service sector, specifically in the activity of restaurants and food stalls (about 25% of companies with around 4.135 affected affiliates), drinking establishments ( about 12% and about 1.425 affected affiliates), hairdressers and other beauty treatments (about 5% with about 329 workers affected), maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (about 3% and about 361 workers affected) , among others.
In terms of contracts, as a variable that informs us about the dynamism that the labor market is showing, we find that in the month of January the negative trend in terms of number of contracts is maintained with respect to the same period of the previous year. Thus, we have a 28,9% global drop in hiring (846 contracts less than in January 2020). By modality, we have that permanent hiring has been reduced by 23,69%, while in the case of temporary hiring the reduction compared to January 2020 has been 30,02%.
Compared to the previous month, the decrease has been -8,7% or what is the same, 189 contracts less than in December 2020. Special mention of the fact that permanent contracts have fallen, in the last month, by 65,1 , 46,3%, while temporary hiring has increased by XNUMX%.
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