Palma/Madrid.By the end of last month, there were 7'293 less people unemployed in the Balearics than there had been at the end of April, a downturn of 8.12 percent, the Central Government's Ministry for Employment reported yesterday.
The figure for the Balearics is in stark contrast to the national average which showed unemployment declined by just 0.63 percent last month in comparison with April. Even though the new jobs contracted out in the Balearics last month were the best results in the country, there are still 82'514 people out of work in the Islands, 6'472 more than May in 2011. In real terms therefore, employment has actually increased by 8.9% within the space of a year.
The Balearics led the ranking in a list of 15 regions of the country where employment shrank last month by comparison with May 2011. Two other regions where there were sharp declines in the number of people out of work were Andalusia (-5'859) and Catalonia (-4'789).
There were only two regions where unemployment rose, in the Canary Islands (by 4'476) and Extremadura (217).
It was only in the construction sector in the Balearics where jobless increased in May this year. Unemployment numbers were down in all other sectors, most noticeably in the hostelry industry by -20.8%, after 3'831 people managed to secure jobs.
Unemployment fell the most in May this year amongst women, down by -9.8%, people under 25 years of age (-11.4%); and amongst non-European union immigrants (-19.1%).
Looking at the Balearics as individual islands, unemployment fell by -12.73% on Ibiza last month (1'238 people now have a job) in comparison with April; on Formentera there were 114 more people in work, -24.68%; Minorca 766, 10.87%; Majorca 5'175 (-7.13%). Central Government Economy and Statistics Director Teresa Palmer said that more than half of new jobs contracted in May this year were accounted for in the Balearics.
However, the reality is that unemployment has grown on all the islands over the past year. On Minorca it has risen by 16.16% (another 874 unemployed; on Ibiza 11.54% (+878); Majorca 7.89% (+4'979); Formentera 3.26% (+11).
Although the Balearic government said yesterday that the news of May reduction in joblessness is some of the best news in recent years in terms of month-on-month employment figures, the regional branch of the Workers Union (USO)said that the news over shrinking joblessness is only slight relief because the number of people out of work and who are no longer entitled to benefit has risen to 44'756.
Meanwhile, across Spain, government job centres reported that officially there are 4.71 million people out of work in Spain. The true figure may well be considerably higher as Ministry for Employment figures only take into account those who are registered with Social Security. Although 30'113 more people were employed at the end of May than there were at the end of April, the year-on-year unemployment figure only fell by 0.63%.