The data provided by the Public Employment Services for all Autonomous Regions corresponding to the month of January show an increase of 124,890 unemployed people (3.1% more than the previous month). Hence, registered unemployment now stands at 4,048,493 people.
For the Secretary General for Employment, Ms Maravillas Rojo, "January is always a bad month for employment. By looking at figures from past years, it can be seen that unemployment rises in January even in periods of economic growth".
"The rise in unemployment is very negative. However, the trend that began almost a year ago now, in March to be specific, of a levelling out of this rising unemployment has been maintained although we are yet to see a complete turnaround".
The rise in unemployment in January is almost 74,000 people less than the rise recorded in the same month of 2009, which amounted to 198,838 people. In inter-annual terms, the rise equates to 720,692 more people out of work (21.6%).
Maravillas Rojo believes that "behind the statistical data are real people going through some very tough times. For that reason, it is so important to implement short-term measures but also for us to be capable of adopting measures that enable us to act in the medium and long term".
The service sector accounts for 82% of the total increase
By economic sector, unemployment rose in the service sector by 102,130 people (4.5%), almost 82% of the total; in the industrial sector by 8,873 (1.7%); in the construction sector by 7,036 people (0.9%); in the agriculture sector by 566 (0.5%) and among those people without prior employment by 6,285 people (2.2%).
Unemployment among men stands at 2,060,207 (a rise of 47,671 or 2.3%). Among women, unemployment stands at 1,988,286 (a rise of 77,219 or 4%). In inter-annual terms, unemployment among men rose by 386,972 (23.1%) and among women by 333,720 (20.2%).
Among young people under the age of 25 years, unemployment in January rose by 9,617 people (2.1%) compared with the previous month and among the over-25 by 115,273 people (3.3%).
Unemployment recorded per Autonomous Region fell in the Balearic Islands (-510) and rose in the remaining 16 regions, led by Catalonia (22,122) and Andalusia (16,592).
By province, recorded unemployment fell in Jaen (-1,703) whereas it rose in the remaining 50 provinces, led by Barcelona (14,893) and Madrid (13,523).
The number of employment contracts registered in January was 1,050,233, which is a fall of 75,540 (-6.7%) compared with January 2009.
94,595 indefinite employment contracts were registered, which accounts for 9% of the total.
As regards benefit payments, the number of applicants rose in December to 992,336 people, which is 70.4% more than in the same month of the previous year. The acceptance period was 4 days, 3 days less than in December 2008.
The total number of benefit recipients rose to 3,034,712 with an increase of 30.9% compared with the previous year. The rate of coverage for the unemployment protection system was 80%.
Benefit payouts totalled 2,772 million euros, which is an increase of 20.9% compared with December 2008.
In terms of the Temporary Program of Unemployment Protection and Incorporation in the Job Market (PRODI), there are 318,197 people recorded on the State Public Employment Service Register.
The Secretary General reiterated that next Friday, 5th February, the Government, "aware of the fact that the situation demands the implementation of new measures, will present its proposal in terms of the labour market in order to progress with the tri-party Social Dialogue talks". He also emphasised how "important it is that the social stakeholders are finalising an agreement on such a central issue in labour reform as that of collective bargaining".