Mariano Rajoy says there are 637,000 more National Insurance contributors than a year ago

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid

The unemployment figures and National Insurance data corresponding to the month of November that were released on Monday morning "reveal 2017 as the best year in adjusted terms for these figures and show that we will most likely have created 600,000 jobs over the course of this year", said the President of the Government in his speech at an event held to present the 4th Awards from the Spanish Confederation of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises [Spanish acronym: CEPYME].

Mariano Rajoy stressed that unemployment has fallen by 8.3% in the last 12 months and that the number of National Insurance contributors has risen by 637,232. In total, there are now 2,124,213 more National Insurance contributors than there were four years ago.

The President of the Government said that, based on this trend, the goal of reaching 20 million people in work could now be achieved by the end of 2019. SMEs, which account for over 99% of all Spanish companies, "will need to play a fundamental role" in achieving this goal, he said.

More and better jobs

Pool Moncloa / César P. SendraMariano Rajoy called on these companies "to maintain their commitment to talent" and "promote quality human resources management based on permanent employment contracts adapted to suit business needs using the flexibility instruments already available to them". He went on to advocate the creation of more full-time jobs, "an indicator that is also associated with quality", and investment in workers. "Train them throughout their working life, include them in your business projects", he said.

The President of the Government recalled that two out of every three jobs created since the start of the recovery stem from SMEs and self-employed professionals, "the backbone of our economy". "We need more SMEs that are larger, more internationalised and better prepared for an increasingly more competitive global market. You are the main asset with which Spain will compete in the future", he said.

The President of the Government added that, in turn, public authorities must guarantee a framework that is as favourable as possible for generating wealth and creating jobs, and also develop "coherent" public policies.

A joint project

Mariano Rajoy congratulated the award-winners, which he described as a fine example Pool Moncloa / César P. Sendra of "the values of innovation, perseverance, overcoming obstacles and commitment that define SMEs and self-employed professionals in our country so well", and especially recognised the work of those business leaders who became the victims of ETA terrorism. "I will remember them always", he said.

The President of the Government stressed that, over the 40-year history of CEPYME, SMEs and self-employed professionals have helped build "this great joint project we call Spain"; a country that stands among the 15 most developed economies of the world and has "a welfare model, public pensions, healthcare system, education system and social services that few other countries can claim to have".

"Although there are those who would sometimes wish to merely highlight mistakes and shortcomings - let's not pretend they don't exist - this is a great country with large, small and medium-sized businesses and exemplary self-employed professionals and employees who will continue to underpin the future as they have done so over the last four years", concluded Mariano Rajoy.

Non official translation