In this month of February it is difficult to find positive data, there is bad news in affiliation, bad news in registered unemployment and bad news in hiring, as well as in ERTE.
In a month traditionally characterized by increases in membership and a relatively neutral behavior of unemployment, the labor market records in February of this year reflect a fair behavior, as
on the contrary, stagnation in affiliation and increase in unemployment.
The number of affiliates to Social Security in February, closed flat with respect to the previous month, rose by 51 people, an increase of 0,1%.
The seasonally adjusted series of affiliates reflects a decrease in affiliation with respect to the same month of the previous year and the interannual variation stands at -4,68%, which means a drop of 2.511 affiliated with Social Security in terms of persons In the last 12 months - we remember that February 2020 is the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis. The total number of affiliates thus stands at 51.200 people. Although the inter-annual sequence indicated that a year ago, in February 2020, we were experiencing growth in employment (+ 2,2% compared to
to February '19) and in 4 months it fell to 8,15% year-on-year reduction of affiliates and since then, starting in the second half of last year, a path of slight recovery of that drop in employment began but that has seen truncated this month of February, with a stagnation of that recovery.
The General Regime, where the majority of employed persons contribute, lost 167 affiliates and added a total of 31.867 taxpayers in February, 7,95% less than a year before and 0,5% less than last January. Membership in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA) -self-employed-, increased again this February compared to the same month of the previous year, + 2,07% and remained practically flat in the monthly rate (+0,5 %), until reaching 17.035 affiliates.
Regarding the number of unemployed in the Marina Alta during the month of February, there has been an increase of 383 people (+ 2,65%), reaching a total of 14.822 unemployed, the highest figure in the last 5 years, This means, in relative terms, the worst February in the last 10 years, or what is the same, registered unemployment, has grown in February more than in the previous ten years in that month. This annual growth to 14.822 unemployed represents an increase in interannual terms of 3.834 unemployed persons, + 34,89% (compared to February '20).
The percentage increases in the last year have been slightly more intense for men. In both population groups, there are increases in unemployment, an increase of 33,11% in women and 37,22% in men, compared to February 2020. However, unemployment has grown more among women than Among men, as in January, and in this second month of the year, the number of unemployed women is higher (8.297 unemployed, 55,98%) than men (6.525 unemployed, 44,02%) .
If we analyze unemployment by productive sectors, the sectors most affected compared to the previous month (January'21) are Services (+ 3,17%) and Industry (+ 2,27%). By activity sections, the strike has been led by Hospitality (+155 people) and Commerce (+85 people). It is worth highlighting the fact that in the Construction and Agriculture sector the number of unemployed has been reduced by 0,89% (-14 unemployed) and by 1,56% (-4 unemployed), respectively, with respect to the past January 2021.
However, if we look at year-on-year rates and compare the figures for this month of February 2021 with February 2020, the numbers are much more alarming. Thus, the Services sector has increased its number of unemployed by 34,74% (+2.992 people), Industry and Construction by 29% (+142 and +350 respectively) and Agriculture has increased its number of unemployed by 26,63, 53% (+XNUMX people).
By calculating the unemployment rate in the Marina Alta, it is observed that it has increased compared to January, reaching an estimated unemployment rate of 22,45%.
Again, as in previous analyzes of the labor market, the evolution of the total number of ERTE must be known, another of the data that is relevant to evaluate the evolution of the labor market. To the second month of the year, 206 new temporary employment regulation files in force in the Marina Alta have been added, which represents an increase of approximately 686 affected workers (there are around 3.761 ERTE requested accumulated since the beginning of the pandemic to which have affected around 15.582 affiliates). As expected, the great weight of concessions is maintained in the activities of the service sector (90%), specifically in the activity of restaurants and food stalls (on 26% of the companies with around 4.418 affected affiliates), drinking establishments (over 13% and around 1.560 affected affiliates), hairdressers and other beauty treatments (over 5% with around 342 affected workers), maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (over 3% and around 361 workers affected), among others.
In terms of contracts, as a variable that informs us about the dynamism that the labor market is showing, we find that in the month of February the negative trend in terms of number of contracts is maintained with respect to the same period of the previous year. Thus, we have a global drop of 41,46% in hiring (1.240 contracts less than in February 2020). By modality, we have that permanent hiring has been reduced by 37,19%, while in the case of temporary hiring the reduction compared to February 2020 has been 42,35%.
With respect to the previous month, the decrease has been 15,86% or what is the same, 330 contracts less than in January 2021. Special mention to the fact that the hiring of men has fallen, in the last month, by 11,87 20,28%, while the hiring of women has decreased by XNUMX%.
