Summer job boom in Spain eases unemployment figures

Spain's summer jobs have arrived, and there's new hope that the economy is headed in the right direction

The figures are so often repeated in the media that I no longer need look them up: Spain’s unemployment rate is 27 per cent; among the nation’s young it rises to 56 per cent, with more than 4.7 million Spaniards on the dole queue.

It’s a stale situation that registers only minimal movement either way, with experts and economists divided as to when Spain’s economy will start to grow once more…

But there’s one certainty that the Spanish economy can rely on year in, year out – the summer boom. As areas like the Costa del Sol gear up for their busiest period of the year, bars, restaurants, cafés, shops, clubs, hotels and taxis fill up faster than the Wimbledon crowds at an Andy Murray match.

And hot on the heels of this much-welcomed custom come the jobs. Temporary they may often be, but this annual boon to the country’s coffers could not have come at a better time.

The latest figures from Spain’s Labour Ministry show that the number of Spanish jobless benefit claimants fell by record numbers in June, with the avalanche of summer jobs giving an extra 127,248 people employment. Sure, it’s a mere 2.6 per cent of the 4.76 million Spaniards unemployed, but it’s positive news. June was also the fourth straight month of falling jobless figures – which correlates with the upward employment trends at this time of year: from March onwards, Spain gears up for Easter (Semana Santa), and then the summer.

The real state of the nation will be known once the busy summer period is over. Whether Spain’s economy still looks to be heading in the right direction come November, is anybody’s guess.

There is one trend that is worth bearing in mind, however. The Labour Ministry revealed that up to June this year, there was a registered increase in Spain’s jobless of 148,411 for the past 12 months. Not great in isolation, but when compared to the previous year’s increase of 493,468, it shows just how much stronger the country’s economy is when compared to the darkest, post-crash days.

There is still plenty of work to be done, of course, but the talk from Rajoy’s government is robust, rather than resigned. “We are firmly committed to lay the foundations so Spain can recover the path of economic growth and the creation of stable, quality jobs,” said Spain’s Employment Secretary, Engracia Hidalgo.