Spain’s unemployment rises as employment hits record

Spain has more people in work, yet unemployment is rising too: union leader Unai Sordo says the regularisation of migrants helps explain the apparent clash. He spoke on Tuesday in Quart de Poblet, Valencia, as new figures from Spain’s labour force survey, known as the EPA, came under scrutiny.

Sordo said people who were previously missing from official figures because of their immigration status are now counted. Some are in work; others can now look for a job legally. That, he argued, helps explain why employment and unemployment have risen together. He said more people than ever are working in Spain.

Sordo, the general secretary of the CCOO trade union, called for policies to create more jobs and help newly regularised migrants enter the labour market. Cutting unemployment should be Spain’s first priority, he said. He believes full employment is possible in less than five years if Spain keeps its energy policies and cheap renewable energy continues to attract investment.

Topics: Jobs & labour · Migration

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com