IKEI research & consultancy

The level of youth unemployment is alarmingly high in several EU Member States, with rates of over 50% recorded in Spain and Greece in 2013. In light of the potential of entrepreneurs to create employment and sustainable growth, promoting y...

This national report examines the main trends in temporary agency work and the problems and challenges it poses in Spain. It puts the spotlight on the working conditions of temporary agency workers, and the specific features of such work that might help explain these conditions.

According to Eurostat’s estimates, the building and repairing of ships and boats sector comprised in 2006 a total of 20.500 enterprises that reported shipbuilding or repairing as their main activity, and provided employment to 296.000 people. The shipbuilding industry has experienced a radical change during the 20 years, so if in the past the sector has been regarded as a labour intensive industry, shipbuilding can be currently defined as a capital, high technology and knowledge intensive one.

The National Institute of Employment (INEM - in Spanish) [1], within its Employment Observatory Service (in Spanish) [2], has recently published a report on the geographical mobility of the Spanish labour market in 2004 (410Kb pdf; in Spanish) [3]. This report finds that, although the Spanish labour market is characterised by a low degree of geographical mobility - especially in comparison with other countries - there has been a steady increase in the geographical mobility of workers in Spain in recent years. Geographical mobility is measured in terms of employment contracts that necessitate, from the outset, the movement of workers to other Spanish provinces or regions (autonomous communities) than where they are living. The report provides a profile of these ‘mobile’ workers in terms of considerations such as sex, age, education level, type of occupation, or nationality of the workers (Spanish/non-Spanish). [1] http://www.inem.es/ [2] http://www.inem.es/ciudadano/p_observatorio.html [3] http://www2.inem.es/Observatorio/Observatorio/Publicaciones/avance_movilidad_2004.pdf

The Declaration for Social Dialogue (Competitiveness, stable employment and social cohesion - 87Kb pdf; in Spanish) [1]- signed between the main Spanish trade unions CC.OO [2] and UGT [3], the employer association CEOE (in Spanish) [4] and the Spanish Government in July 2004 - identified two main problems affecting the Spanish labour market: a low employment rate and a relatively high presence of temporary employment. In order to solve these problems, and within the framework of this Declaration, the signing parties agreed, among other measures, on the setting up of an experts’ commission with the aim of evaluating Spanish employment policies since the 1990s. The result of the experts’ commission has been a report entitled, ‘More and better employment in a new socioeconomic scenario: For an effective labour flexibility and security’ (761Kb pdf; in Spanish) [5] (Más y mejor empleo en un nuevo escenario socioeconómico: Por una flexibilidad y seguridad laborales efectivas), published in January 2005. [1] http://www.ilo.org/public/spanish/region/ampro/cinterfor/temas/dialogo/inf_act/dsoc_esp.pdf [2] http://www.ccoo.es/bienvein.htm [3] http://www.ugt.es/ugtpordentro/cronoingles.html [4] http://www.ceoe.es/webceoe/htmls/inicio/inicio.html [5] http://www.tt.mtas.es/periodico/laboral/200501/informe.pdf

One of the main trade unions in Spain, Comisiones Obreras [1] (CCOO), published a study in 2004, ‘ Jóvenes: la nueva precariedad laboral (600Kb pdf; in Spanish) [2]’ (Young people: The new precariousness in work). The report examines the labour situation for young people aged less than 30 years, and presents a series of proposals aimed at reducing inequality and job precariousness among this group. [1] http://www.ccoo.es/portada.asp [2] http://www.conc.es/acciojove/documents/estudiconfe.pdf