The latest data published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy indicate that unemployment in the Balearic Islands fell by 7.15 percent in May compared to the same period in 2023. Specifically, the number of unemployed on the islands fell by 2,058 people to a total of 26,742. Compared to April, unemployment also fell by 5.25%, with a total of 1,483 fewer unemployed.

Photo: Ajuntament de Palma.

Of the 26,742 unemployed in the Balearic Islands in May, 15,400 are women (1,089 are under 25) and 11,342 are men (1,286 are under 25). On the other hand, 5,030 are foreigners, which represents a drop of 4.73% compared to 2023, of which 3,254 are non-EU citizens (64.7%) and 1,776 are from EU countries.

By sector, services lead the number of unemployed on the islands with 19,171 people, followed by construction (3,554), industry (1,240) and agriculture (345).

Historical unemployment figures for the Balearic Islands

For Jordi Mora, president of PIMEM, these “are the best figures for a month of May in the last twenty years. We are talking about historic figures that demonstrate a clear commitment by the business sector to continue generating jobs.”Despite this good situation, Mora points out that “we want to continue to insist on the enormous difficulties that companies have in closing their workforces. We believe that there are two serious problems linked to the world of work: the lack of housing and problems related to the lack of qualified workers due to a lack of training.”