Unemployment in the Balearics in September increased by almost 4%, 2,094 people having brought the total number of unemployed to 56,531. The Balearics had the third highest percentage increase in unemployment of regions of Spain behind Cantabria and Asturias, where the rises were 4.7% and 4.2% respectively.
Despite this, the total number of unemployed in September was 13.2% lower than in the same month in 2014, representing a drop of 8.562, and this was the second highest decrease in the country after La Rioja with a percentage fall of 14.9%. The Balearics can, therefore, point to 23 months of uninterrupted lowering of the rate of unemployment.
With 26,087 people joining the ranks of the unemployed, the number is similar to the rise in unemployment in September 2013 when it was 25,572 and above 2014 (19,720).
Since such data started to be gathered in 1996, there have been only three Septembers which have produced drops in the unemployment rate - 2005, 2006 and 2007.