Unemployment falls by 59,149 people, the third best figure on record for a month of March

This takes place after overcoming the impact of the third wave of the pandemic, which has led to looser restrictions on economic activity.

The total number of recorded unemployed thus drops below the threshold of 4 million, to stand at 3,949,640 people.

In seasonally-adjusted terms, recorded unemployment fell by 31,277 people.

Rise in permanent employment contracts

1,404,107 employment contracts were signed in March in total.

207,191 permanent employment contracts were signed in March, 14.76% of the total, which means that this is the best month of March on record for this type of contract, thanks to the boost to the job market given by the Work and Social Security Inspectorate.

In terms of the working day, these permanent employment contracts signed in March were divided into 128,791 full-time contracts and 78,400 part-time contracts.

The rest of the employment contracts, to complete the total figure signed in March of 1,404,107, include 6,047 training contracts and 1,124,041 other types of temporary contracts. This latter group includes Specific Works or Service Contracts (from day to full-time contracts), accounting for 27.9% of all contracts, followed by Temporary Contracts due to Production Circumstances (from one day to full-time contracts), accounting for 25.48%. Part-time temporary employment contracts accounted for 26.68%.

Unemployment by economic sector

By economic sector, recorded unemployment fell by 53,686 people (down 1.89%) in services, by 7,685 (down 2.46%) in construction and by 3,675 (down 1.16%) in industry.

Unemployment rose in agriculture by 2,368 people (up 1.24%) and among first-time job seekers by 3,529 (up 1%).

Unemployment by gender and age

Recorded unemployment among men fell in March by 32,469 (down 1.91%), to a total of 1,671,541 people. Among women, unemployment fell by 26,680 (down 1.16%) to a total of 2,278,099 on the figure for February.

Unemployment among young people under the age of 25 fell in March by 8,610 people (down 2.35%) on the previous month. Unemployment also fell among those aged over 25, with 50,539 fewer people out of work (down 1.39%).

Unemployment by region

Recorded unemployment fell in March in 16 of the autonomous regions, headed up by Andalusia (down 16,925), the Region of Valencia (down 8,897), Catalonia (down 6,390) and the Region of Madrid (down 5,471). It only rose in the Basque Country, by 993 people.

Unemployment benefits in month of February

The month of February ended with a total of 2,359,191 beneficiaries of unemployment benefits. Total spending on benefits in the month amounted to 2.74 billion euros.

The average monthly cost per beneficiary in February, without including the agricultural subsidy in Andalusia and Extremadura, was 1,186.10€, a rise on the same month of the previous year of 259.70€ (up 28%).

Benefits under a Temporary Lay-off Plan (Spanish acronym: ERTE) in February amounted to 751.7 million euros.

Non official translation