The people older than 45 years have become the most affected group in employment matter in Spain. If 26 years ago the percentage of unemployed over 45 years of age with respect to the national total represented just over 20%, a report presented by the SEPE during the month of March 2023 has revealed that those over 45 years of age currently They represent 56.4% of the total unemployed in our country.
This is the highest percentage of elderly unemployed since the State Public Employment Service shows these data, surpassing the year 2021 and the year 2019, which were the periods with the highest percentage with respect to the total with 54.5%. and 51.7% respectively. In addition, despite the fact that the percentage of Spanish citizens between 45 and 65 years corresponds to 31% according to the INEthe number of contracts of this type of workers does not reach a third of the total, maintaining its percentage at 27%.
In this sense, Sílvia Balcells, CEO of Synergie Spain, a multinational human resources solutions company, affirms that “Despite the growth in the percentage of unemployed people over 45 years of age, this group continues to be one of the most relevant in terms of global employment, since it represents almost half of the workers in Spain (49%). It is vital that the business environment encourages the promotion of opportunities for a group that has the ability to provide great experience, know-how and an attitude of learning and adapting to new jobs”Balcells explains.
Unemployment at an advanced age affects women more
The SEPE data also reflects that the problem of unemployment in people over 45 years of age affects women to a greater extent than men, and that is that, when analyzing the distribution of the number of unemployed in this group by gender, it is possible to identify that the Unemployed women over the age of 45 account for 59.6% of the female total, while, in men, this figure stands at 40.3%. In addition, the interannual decrease in unemployment has been greater among men, with 7.77%, a figure that is more than double that experienced by the group of women (3.8%).
Coupled with this, it should be noted that the long-term unemployed They represent 56% of the unemployed in this group, a figure that, despite having been reduced by seven percentage points with respect to the report published the previous year, is thirteen points higher than the percentage of total long-term unemployed in our country (43 %).
Services, industry and construction, the most demanded sectors
Finally, the State Public Employment Service explains that the services, industry and construction sectors are both the most sought after by this type of worker and the ones that generate the most employment in this age group. The services represent 72% of job searches in the sector, a figure that is far removed from the construction sector, its immediate pursuer, sought by 10% of the elderly unemployed. The industry and the agriculture They close this list with 9% and 4% respectively.
For their part, as far as the occupation of people belonging to this age range is concerned, similar figures are obtained, since 75% of workers over the age of 45 work in the service sector, 12% work in industry, 7% in construction and 6% in agriculture.
