Oviedo (EFE) as well as a fall in employment of 4,382 employed, equivalent to 1.18 percent.
With this, the number of unemployed in the community stood at 64,229 people, the lowest for a month of January since 2008, while affiliation to Social Security remained at 368,115 workers, according to data published this Thursday by the Labor ministries. and Social Economy and Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations.
In relation to January 2022, unemployment fell in the Principality by 2,060 people, 3.11 percent, while employment increased by 1,522 affiliates, 0.42 percent, the second most moderate improvement among the autonomous communities after Extremadura (-0.29%).
In a traditionally bad month for the labor market due to the end of the Christmas season, unemployment rose sharply in January in the service sector, which added 2,125 unemployed, up to 47,542 people.
In addition, unemployment rose by 87 unemployed in the industry, up to 4,682; and in 7 both in construction and agriculture, up to 4,773 and 1,164, respectively, while in the previously unemployed group it rose by 116, up to 6,068.
The rise in unemployment affected women to a greater extent, with an increase of 1,825 unemployed, up to 37,072, while among men it increased by 517 unemployed, up to 27,157.
Permanent contracts continue to gain ground
Regarding hiring, the number of contracts signed in Asturias in January was 17,169, 9.7 percent less than in December and 26.5 percent less than in the same month last year, of which 11,441 were temporary and 5,728, indefinite.
In this way, one in three new contracts, 33.36 percent, were permanent, above the rate of 31.15 percent registered in the whole of last year after the entry into force of the labor reform.
Before said reform, permanent contracts barely reached double digits.
With this, three out of four people affiliated with Social Security have a permanent contract (74%), and more than half (56%) full-time permanent, the highest percentages in the historical series.
Unions call for pay rises and more protection
After knowing these data, the unions have coincided in warning of the bad data produced by the Asturian labor market, although they have valued the improvement in the quality of new employment due to the advancement of permanent contracts.
The secretary of Union Policy of the UGT of Asturias, Mar Celemín, has also celebrated the new increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) and has stressed that the employer “should take good note” and also promote the increase in wages within the framework of collective bargaining, especially in an inflationary environment and rising interest rates, in which companies are registering a “massive increase” in their profits.
The CCOO head of Equality, Úrsula Szalata, has considered that the priorities should be “creating quality employment and expanding coverage measures for people who are unemployed”, while advocating for a firm commitment to the industry , “which generates stable and quality employment” in contrast to seasonal employment in the service sector.
From the business sphere, the Asturian Federation of Entrepreneurs (FADE) has urged the Principality to implement reforms that will get the community out of the “slackness in the ability to create jobs.”
For her part, the managing director of the Principality’s Public Employment Service (Sepepa), Pilar Varela, has assessed the “positive trend” shown by year-on-year developments, with 22 consecutive months of reduction in unemployment and increase in employment, if He has insisted on the Principality’s determination to continue reinforcing employment policies.
Spain loses 1.06% of employment and unemployment rises 2.49%
In the country as a whole, Social Security lost an average of 215,047 affiliates in January after the end of the Christmas campaign, 1.06 percent, while unemployment rose by 70,744 people, 2.49 percent, in one month usually bad for the labor market.
The drop in January is similar to that of other starts of the year and leaves the total at 20,081,224 affiliates, 10,638,367 men and 9,442,857 women, 454,063 more than a year ago.
Regarding unemployment, the increase was lower than the average for that month and the number of unemployed stood at 2,908,397 people. EFE