Spain / Co-operatives create 8,000 new jobs while unemployment hits record level

At a time when more then six million people are unemployed across Spain, co-operatives have managed to not only maintain, but also increase the number of jobs by 7.2 percent in the third quarter of 2012.

By contrast, the unemployment rate in Spain has reached 27.2 per cent, the highest since 1976. Although it has recently slowed, the unemployment rate has continued to increase ever since the crisis emerged in 2008. In mid-2007 the rate reached 7.9 percent.

Figures released by the Spanish Ministry for Employment confirm that co-operatives have created 8,000 new jobs in the first half of 2012.

According to the Spanish Confederation of Workers Co-operatives (COCETA), employment figures in worker co-operatives doubled in the first half of 2012, compared to the previous year. More than 250,000 people work in 17,000 co-operatives.

Juan Antonio Pedreño, President of COCETA, said: “This clearly shows that worker co-operatives are an important option when it comes to creating jobs that governments should value in order to help local economies.”

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor

via Co-operatives create 8,000 new jobs while unemployment hits record in Spain | Co-operative News.

Suggested Reading

Spain / Should the euro be abandoned ?

The mind goes numb. Spanish unemployment jumped by another 237,000 people in the first quarter to 6.2 million, or 27.2 per cent. The country is losing 3581 jobs a day. There are 1.9 million households where no member of the family has a job. The unemployment rate has reached 36.8 per cent in Andalusia, Spain’s … Continue reading »