The labour market improved again in May, a month traditionally marked by the start of hiring linked to the summer season. The number of people registered with employment offices fell by 36,323 compared with April, to 2.32 million, the lowest figure for a month of May since 2007, according to data published on Tuesday by the Ministries of Labour and of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
Compared with the same month last year, unemployment fell by 134,162 people. The decline spread across all productive sectors, although the group of people with no previous employment recorded a slight increase.
Social Security membership also continued to rise. The system added an average of 231,975 contributors over the month, bringing the total to 22.3 million registered workers, the highest level since comparable records began. The seasonally adjusted figure, which corrects for calendar effects, stood at 22.1 million people in work after 64 consecutive months of growth.
Record levels of membership were repeated across different population groups, including young people, women, men, self-employed workers and foreign nationals. The latter reached 3.36 million contributors and now account for around 15% of all registered workers.
The hospitality sector generated the most jobs in May, with nearly 66,000 more registrations than in April. The sector is thus approaching 1.68 million contributors, driven by the increase in tourism and service activity linked to the summer.
Administrative and support service activities also recorded significant gains, adding around 27,000 registered workers in the past month and edging close to 1.5 million employees. In year-on-year terms, health activities and social services made the biggest contribution to employment growth, with more than 77,000 additional registered workers.
The special agricultural scheme regained members in May, adding almost 21,000 contributors, although it still shows a negative balance compared with the previous year. By contrast, the special scheme for domestic workers continued to reduce its number of registered members both in monthly and year-on-year terms.
Self-employment also reached a new high, with 3.46 million people working for themselves. In the past 12 months almost 46,000 self-employed workers have joined the system, especially in professional, scientific and technical activities. By gender, Social Security recorded 11.7 million male contributors and 10.6 million female contributors. Women now account for 47.45% of all people in work.
In terms of unemployment, the number of jobless women fell to 1.4 million, its lowest level for a May since 2008. Even so, it remains above the slightly more than 900,000 men registered as unemployed. Youth unemployment fell again to 164,955 people under the age of 25, the lowest level since the series began. Within this group, there were fewer unemployed women than men.
By sector, services recorded the largest fall in unemployment, with 29,829 fewer jobless people than in April. Unemployment also declined in industry, construction and agriculture. The only group that increased was people with no previous employment.
Regional differences remained significant. The Balearic Islands recorded the largest monthly reduction in unemployment and the biggest rise in membership, with almost 48,200 more contributors than in April. In year-on-year terms, Madrid led job creation in absolute figures, with 127,841 more registered workers than a year earlier.
As for hiring, 572,061 permanent contracts were signed in May, accounting for 43.2% of the total. This type of contract increased both compared with the previous month and in the year to date.
Meanwhile, the latest available data on unemployment protection, corresponding to April, show that 1.78 million benefits were paid. The average amount received per beneficiary reached 1,168.30 euros a month, 22.6 euros more than a year earlier.