A NEW system to collect facts and figures on unemployment, which came into force on 4 May, has revealed that there are 12'844 more unemployed people in the Balearic Islands than what was originally estimated. These new statistics show that 8'188 of these new unemployed are in fact foreigners. The Head of the University of Alcala de Henares, Luis Toharia, devised this new system and announced these new figures yesterday. This expert presented these statistics, which only relate to January 2005, at a press conference held in Palma yesterday.
The Director of the Public Service for Employment Department, Valeriano Baillo, was also at the press conference and explained the advantages that these new statistics will bring. The Minister for Work, Cristobal Huguet, leaders of the two main Trade Union Commissions, Jose Benedicto and Lorenzo Bravo were also at the event. For the first time, this new system now counts the number of jobless foreigners from the European Union and unemployed foreigners from countries outside of the EU. Until now, these statistics never appeared on the reports. Therefore there are now over 8'000 more unemployed foreigners living on the islands and if this is taken for the whole of Spain it is over 110'000 additional unemployed foreign people. The remaining unemployed that were discovered by the system have arisen from the checks revised with the Social Security departments.
The University professor said that there are now more unemployed people than there were previously and that there are also different groups of people who have this time been accounted for. This new system will allow us to estimate better and more and allow us to get nearer to the levels of the other European countries, said Valeriano Baillo, the Director of the Public Service for Employment Department, whilst at the press conference. Another new service of this system is that all the employment services in the European Union will be linked and connected together, which will allow workers to move around more freely. All the Spanish employment services will also be linked together, which will allow residents to sign on at any office.
Jobless foreigners shock as system is changed