ARCHIVED - Unemployment down by more than 1,000 in Alicante during April
The jobless total in the Costa Blanca is still 3.6 per cent higher than a year ago at 186,000
The number of people registered as unemployed in the province of Alicante fell by 1,074 during April, according to data published by the Ministry of Employment on Wednesday morning, no doubt due in part to the gradual re-activation of many of the bars and restaurants as the pandemic situation stabilizes and the opening of more establishments over the Easter holidays.
In comparison with the previous month this represents a fall of 0.57 per cent in the unemployment figure, but nonetheless the total of 186,613 is 3.6 per cent higher than at the end of April 2020, during the first lockdown last spring. In the Comunidad Valenciana as a whole, including not only Alicante but also the provinces of Valencia and Castellón, the jobless total is now 0.09 per cent higher than in March and 1.75 per cent higher than a year ago at 447,650.
Similar developments are reported in Spain as a whole during the month, with the latest total of 3,910,628 representing a fall of 1 per cent in April but an increase of 2.07 per cent over the last 12 months. However, the regional breakdown of changes over the last year show a wide disparity among the trends, with the sharpest increases in unemployment recorded in the islands (13.1 per cent in the Balearics and 10 per cent in the Canaries) and, at the other end of the scale, almost 11 per cent fewer people out of work in Galicia, in the north-west of the country.
It should also be borne in mind that across the country a further 638,000 people are still on the ERTE furlough schemes, not currently working but not registered as unemployed.