Unemployment: location is everything
In mid 2007 unemployment in Spain fell to 7.95 per
cent, its lowest level for 29 years. While still above
the EU average, it’s not bad considering nearly 25 per
cent of the workforce was jobless in 1994. Regional
variances are marked; as a general rule, unemployment
gets worse the further south you go. Extremadura
(13.4 per cent in 2006) and Andalusia (12.7 per cent) are
usually at the wrong end of the stats while Navarre (5.3
per cent) places most people in work. Unemployment
also varies with different sectors of the workforce.
Much of the frenzied job creation of recent years – the
best in Europe – has been for low skilled, low paid roles.
Conversely, unemployment among skilled graduates is
among the highest in Europe at over 11 per cent. Well
qualified, but perhaps lacking vocational skills, many of
these graduates have joined the ranks of the so-called
mileuristas, people who only earn around€1,000
a month.
Support services: social security
Franco initiated a safety net for the poor, jobless and
elderly of Spain, but it was wildly unbalanced (some
got loads, others received nothing) and financially
clumsy.Today, workers contribute to theseguridad
social. Funds are always available for the most needy,
but generally the state help given to the jobless,
disadvantaged and elderly is commensurate with
contributions made. So, the longer you’ve been paying
into the pot, the further your unemployment benefit will
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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Time off for childbirth
Spanish women are
entitled to 16 weeks’
maternity leave on full
pay. The lucky multiple
birth mother gets an
additional fortnight for
every extra tot.
