Unemployment fell in May

PALMA
U NEMPLOYMENT on the islands dropped by 17'200 people during the second quarter of the year.
This means that there are now 30'600 people out of work in the Balearics, which is a reduction of 36 percent in comparison with the previous quarter, according to figures from the Working Population Poll made public yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

Between April and June the Balearics had the greatest decrease in unemployment (36 percent), very much above the national average of 5.1 percent.
The total number of unemployed people on the islands is 52'510 people, 5.5 percent of the population, much less than the national average of 7.95 percent.

With regard to the interannual figure, which covers the last 12 months, unemployment in the Balearics decreased by 5'400 people, some 15.11 percent, in comparison with the decrease of 4.19 percent throughout Spain.

During the same period the Balearics was also the leader in employment with the creation of 50'400 new jobs, followed closely by Catalonia with 46'700 new jobs, and Andalucia with 43'300. At the end of June the number of employed people on the islands was 525'100.

The work force increased between April and June in the Balearics by 33'100 people, to a total of 555'700, which was an increase of 6.3 percent in comparison with the previous quarter.

During the last 12 months, the number of working people in the region grew by 13'100 people, some 2.42 percent, lower than the 2.77 percent national average, according to the report.