The number of employed people increased in the third quarter of the year by 569,600 compared to the previous quarter which saw the greatest impact of the pandemic from confinement. The total number of employed stood at 19.17 million. However, the number of unemployed also increased by 355,000 to 3.722.900, equivalent to a rate of 16.26%, the highest since the first quarter of 2018.
According to data from the Labour Force Survey (EPA) published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), this is the largest quarterly increase in employment in the historical series, which began in 1976. It means a recovery of about half of the employment lost in the previous quarter.
In terms of the annual comparison, the unemployment rate has climbed 2.3 percentage points. The labour market continues to reflect the harsh impact of the pandemic with 508,500 more unemployed and 697,500 fewer employed.
The INE reminds us that those affected by an ERTE, or temporary job suspension, are considered to be employed, according to Eurostat’s methodology and that of the International Labour Organisation which is used in the EPA.
