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Staff Reporter

PALMA
THE number of foreigners paying Social Security contributions on the Balearics increased to 91'351 people in May, representing 4.58 percent of all foreigners paying Social Security in Spain, according to figures published yesterday by the Spanish ministry of labour and social affairs.

Throughout Spain, the number of foreigners registered to pay Social Security increased by 46'596 people in May, some 2.39 percent more than the previous month. This puts the total of immigrants registered in the system at 1'994'405.

In May 20'070 new foreigners from European Union countries were registered and 26'526 from outside the European Union.
Of the total foreign workers registered to pay social security contributions in Spain at the end of May, 645'524 were EU citizens and 1'348'881 were from outside the EU. The number of foreign workers from EU countries has increased by 95.29 percent in the last year, as the figure shot up when Bulgaria and Romania were incorporated into the EU in January.

The number of foreign contributors from outside the EU continued to fall in May, and is now 11.25 percent less than it was a year ago.
Among the foreigners from outside the EU, Moroccans and Ecuadorians are the most numerous, having 552'495 contributors between them. Colombia, with 145'991 workers, is in third place, ahead of Peru which has 72'969 contributors, and China with 60'806.

The rest of the contributors from outside the EU come from Argentina (57'460), Bolivia (48'336), the Ukraine (38'812), the Dominican Republic (32'242), Cuba (23'110) and other non European countries (316'660).

Of those who come from the EU, the Romanians, Portuguese and Italians are the most numerous, with 193'122, 77'707 and 65'940 contributors respectively.
These are followed by the British (62'318) and the Bulgarians (48'194), the Poles (47'093) and the Germans (45'509). The lowest figures belong to Cyprus, with just 61 workers, Luxembourg with 112, Malta (188) and Estonia (350).

Almost three in four foreigners paying Social Security are registered in the General System, and of these 27.55 percent (a total of 409'139 people) work in the construction industry.

Other immigrants registered in this system work in sectors such as catering (17.56 percent), property (15.04 percent), and shops (13.47 percent).
After the General System, it is the Special System for Self Employed Workers which has the most foreigners, 9.5 percent of the immigrant contributors, with 191'104 people registered.