Monthly balance

February closes with 900,000 people on Temporary Lay-off Plan

2021.3.2

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As at 27 February 2021, 899,383 people were protected under an ERTE, according to provisional social security figures. These figures have remained fairly stable since the month of September, which shows that the second and third waves of the pandemic have had much less effect in this regard than the first wave.

Compared with the close of January, a decline of 28,903 people has taken place when taking into account the revised series according to the number of people affected back in work. According to the date of notification (see explanatory note at end of this document), an increase can be appreciated of 160,414 people.

On average in February, 909,661 people were under an ERTE; of which 652,010 were on a modality under Royal Decree-Laws 30/2020 and 35/2020, and their extension under Royal Decree-Law 2/2021, and hence enjoy exemptions from National Insurance contributions.

Compared with the worst point of the crisis in April 2020, a fall has been recorded of 2.7 million people, according to the date of return to work, and of 2.5 million people according to the date of notification. In both cases, this is a 75% drop compared with the worst point of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 900,000 people on a COVID-19-related ERTE at the end of February, 645,744, or 71% of the total, fell under one of the modalities introduced as from 1 October, extended as of 1 February, which include National Insurance exemptions. Specifically, 133,520 people fall under an ERTE restricting them from working, another 224,813 on an ERTE on limitations on work and another 287,411 on an ERTE for ultra-protected sectors and their value chain.

Outside of these modalities, and hence without exemptions, there were another 253,639 people on an ERTE on grounds of force majeure or on objective grounds (Spanish acronym: ETOP).

In addition to the 900,000 people on an ERTE at the close of the month, 218,047 - almost 25% of the total - are on part-time suspensions, a similar percentage to in previous months.

The number of workers on an ERTE accounts for 6.26% of all contributors (under the General Regime, without including the Special Regimes), with a high sector concentration. Specifically, five activities account for more than 40% of all contributors on an ERTE, amounting to almost half a million people, in other words, accounting for close to 60% of the people protected by these instruments. The five activities correspond to the ultra-protected sectors, and hence enjoy significant exemptions from National Insurance payments until 31 May.

Specifically, accommodation services, with 119,389 people - 63% of contributors - is the sector with the highest percentage of workers on an ERTE. This is followed by travel agencies, with 57% of its contributors falling under this protective instrument. Activities of games of chance, air transport and food and drink services also have between 40% and 50% of their workers protected. Of these, the first and the third groups fall under ultra-protected sectors in accordance with Royal Decree-Law 35/2020, approved in December 2020 as part of the support measures for the hotel and catering sector. The food and drink services sector is quantitatively the sector that concentrates the most people on an ERTE, with 323,084 workers.

Geographically, there is also a significant concentration in areas with the most tourism activity. Specifically, the province of Las Palmas has the most workers on an ERTE (almost 16% of its contributors), followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 13%, and the Balearic Islands, with 12.4% of its workers on an ERTE. In contrast, Jaen is the province with the fewest workers under one of these mechanisms, with 3% of the total.

Note on the publication of ERTE figures

Given that the dates on which ERTEs are applied for and when their effects come into force may be different, there is a certain disparity between the date of notification - the figures notified to that date - and the date on which the effects take place - the registration - (for example, a company may notify the Treasury of the ERTE of its workforce on 10 December, which has already taken effect on 20 November).

With a view to transparency, you can consult the revised series in the attached Excel of people on an ERTE as of the date of registration - a series that requires daily updates - and on the date of notification to make the appropriate comparisons, and in the next few days, the Excel will also be updated of the last few months with the revised series.

In addition, the revised figures for the ERTEs in December have been updated on the web page.

Non official translation