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Palma.—More than 30'000 people without a job in the Balearics have signed off from their local job centres. while the number of unemployed no longer looking for work has increased by 46% in the last year, reaching 7'748 people.

This is the main conclusion of report published by Llorenc Pou, Economic's teacher at the Balearic Islands University (UIB) comparing the details of a survey of active, working people (EPA), members to the General Social Security (TGSS) and those registered as jobseekers at the National Job centre of the Balearic Islands. (SOIB). “The information from the survey of active workers (EPA) allows us to have a good, clear image of the working situation of the citizens on the island,” explains Pou and adds that this permits “to obtain a good estimation of the number of people unemployed that want to work but have stopped looking for employment because they believe that the possibility of finding anything is so remote that it a waste of their time” this particular group is called “the discouraged people”.

Another important point of interest, according to the professor of the Balearic's University (UIB), is the development of the discouraged people that has shot up by 46% between 2012 and 2013.

In particular, unemployed people that have given up searching for work within the last year, has increased by 2'400 to a total of 7'748. “What these figures reflect is the pessimistic working situation” confirmed Pou.
But, it is not just here in the Balearics where the recession is continuing to hit the labour market.
The economic crisis which shows no signs of abating in Spain is leading to an unprecedented change in the ‘inter-generational solidarity' trend as the number of pensioners supporting families where everyone is unemployed has tripled since 2007, according to a report by the May 1 foundation. The study on ‘The impact of the crisis on living conditions of the elderly' released on Monday found that 420.000 family units are currently supported by retired public employees, some 9% of the overall number of pensioners, and almost three times the number of families needing support six years ago, 150.000.

Overall in the last ten years, on average pensions have increased by 250 euros a month to reach 975 euros, according to social security data, but one third of pensioners in Spain continued to receive a lower pension than the minimum salary.

In 2007, 3'6% of families with unemployed members were supported by retired workers while today their number has risen to 9% of the total with pensions representing the main income for 26% of Spanish family units. This shows how important pensions are to contain the risk of poverty, the report noted.

Cuts and austerity measures approved since 2010 have eroded the purchasing power of over 8 million retired workers of whom almost 5'4 million are pensioners.

The last pension hike measured on price trends as of Jan. 1 which was frozen by the government caused a 222 euro loss in buying power, according to the Union General de Trabajadores.

This occurred in spite of a 20'7% annual increase in prescription drug prices and 10.8% hike in energy bills, as denounced by another union, the CCOO workers' commission, which sounded the alarm on the fact that the crisis is forcing a greater number of pensioners into poverty and social discrimination.

According to the latest social security data, three fourth of pensioners (73%) has a gross income under 15.000 euros a year - well under the lowest gross salaries in the Spanish labour market estimated around 15.479 euros , according to the most recent research on salaries by national statistics bureau published in December 2012.