Socio Economic Situacion In Spain

The socio-economic and employment situation in Spain

Spain has seen a strong rise in employment levels over the past decade, and by September 2006

the overall employment rate was just over 66%, with female employment over 54%. At that time,

8.15% of the population was jobless Ð'- well below the 2000 fi gure of 13.5%.

These rates are linked to a large population increase since 1998, due to massive immigration into the

country. Immigrants have a higher employment rate than the national average and now represent over

8% of the population.

In spite of impressive growth in recent years, women's participation in the labour market remains

insuffi cient. The availability of more care facilities is needed to address this challenge and improve the

balance between work and family life. More eff orts are also being undertaken to promote women's careers

and their access to more senior positions, particularly on boards of directors where they represent only 4%

of members.

In contrast to the positive employment fi gures, structural unemployment remains high among some

ethnic groups such as the Roma, women, disabled people, younger workers and those over 45 years old.

In addition, many Spanish workers do not have adequate job security: in 2005, one-third of all Spanish jobs

were short-term contracts, which is more than double the EU average.

As regards the