Spain loses 162,840 contributors, union warns

Spain lost 162,840 average Social Security contributors in August, with contracts in education a particular factor. In Madrid on Wednesday, the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) union said the figures point to worsening employment in Spain, despite the usual seasonal pattern.

The number of people registered as unemployed was 70,593 lower than a year earlier. But USO said much of that fall came from an extraordinary process to regularise immigrants, which softened the blow from the end of the summer season.

Regularisation cushions August figures

Despite the August loss, the Social Security system ended the month with 22.34 million contributors. USO said the regularisation process had helped keep that total up.

Its general secretary, Joaquín Pérez, said the boost did not fix the labour market’s deeper problems. He pointed to hidden temporary work, involuntary part-time jobs and constant staff turnover.

Union calls for steadier contracts

USO said jobs created in Spain remain unstable, temporary and low quality, especially in sectors where frequent job changes are built into the system.

The union is calling for policies to deliver more stable work, curb turnover and protect people from involuntary part-time employment. Pérez said progress should be judged not only by the number of Social Security contributors, but by the quality and continuity of contracts.

Topics: Jobs & labour · Migration · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com