Changes

Comparing the months of May 2019 and May 2020 reveals a remarkable rise in the amount of people claiming unemployment benefits throughout Spain, especially by those affected by furloughs (see the map on Beneficiaries of unemployment benefits). However, significant differences may be observed in the regional coverage rates (see the map on Coverage of unemployment benefits), which measure the ratio of beneficiaries of unemployment benefits to unemployed. The coverage of unemployment benefits increased in the northern and eastern regions, whilst it reduced in some southern regions, especially Extremadura and Andalusia (Andalucía).

The effects of the pandemic revealed more quickly and were more harmful for more vulnerable households, according to the quarterly data from the Labour Force Survey. Both the graph on the Evolution in the amount of households where all active members are unemployed and the graph on the Evolution in the amount of households with no income show that the second quarter of 2020 marked a clear change in trend with respect to the one observed since 2014.