Employment continues to show its resilience. In the third quarter of the year, employment continued to be created, with a record in the total number of employed people, also in the active population, although also with an increase in unemployment.
Specifically, from July to September there was an increase of more than 209,000 workers, which brings the total number of employed people to a new record, with 21.26 million people. If the psychological barrier of 21 million employed people was broken in the second quarter of the year, the trend has continued between July and September according to data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) published this morning.
It is an improvement in generalized employment, given that it increases in almost all autonomous communities.
At the same time, the active population, which includes both people with jobs and those who are actively looking for one, also increased by more than 300,000 people, exceeding 24.1 million. It's a new record. For the Ministry of Economy, this increase in the active population "reveals citizens' confidence in finding employment."
This increase in the active population is also what explains why, despite the increase in jobs, the unemployment rate also rose, which stands at 11.84%, 24 hundredths more than in the previous quarter. In total, there are 92,700 unemployed more than there were in the period from July to September, up to a total of 2,855,200.
When going into the details of the EPA data, it is observed that it is the private sector that has created the most employment between July and September, with 192,000 more workers, and the improvement in the quality of employment can also be seen. There are 1.1 million more permanent contracts in the last year, a decrease in the temporary employment rate to 17.2% and more full-time contracts.
The Ministry of Economy describes the data as "good evolution of the labor market despite the complex international context, a reflection of the strength and dynamism of the Spanish economy that favors families and companies."
