According to last summer’s Active Population Survey (EPA, by its Spanish acronym), Spain added 77,300 employed persons between July and September, reaching a record high of 22.85 million. However, this figure was not enough to offset the surge in unemployment, which grew by 95,900 people. This marks the largest increase for this period since the pandemic years, bringing the total number of unemployed individuals to 2.59 million and pushing the unemployment rate to 10.18%.
According to the data, the total workforce across the public sector grew by 89,900 people compared to the second quarter of the year. As a result, the total number of civil servants and government employees stood at an unprecedented record of 3.74 million people by the end of September.
The drive provided by public employment was crucial in saving an EPA report that is far from stellar. Alongside the rise in the unemployment rate—which once again broke the 10% threshold—total job creation stood at 73,600 people, a figure that, in this area, owes everything to public administration. Indeed, between last July and September, the private sector actually suffered job losses, shedding nearly 16,300 positions.
Over the past year, job creation in the public sector has risen by 204,100 people, representing “a percentage increase of nearly 6%.” In contrast, private companies expanded by 1.39%, meaning that “public sector job creation is advancing at three times the pace of the private sector.”
