Unemployment in La Orotava has decreased by 40.55% over the past decade, according to a report commissioned by the City Council to assess the trends in unemployment within the municipality and the effectiveness of policies implemented to mitigate it.
The principal findings were announced yesterday by the mayor, Francisco Linares, alongside the councillor responsible for Training and Employment, Deisy Ramos, who elaborated that the study spans from December 2013 to the same month in 2023 and provides some insights for the current year.
Consequently, the number of job seekers in the municipality ten years ago, which stood at 6,025, has decreased to 3,582 individuals in December last year, with a slight reduction currently, amounting to 3,511. Nevertheless, there were fluctuations during this period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly impacting the services sector, which was the most affected, followed by agriculture, industry, and construction, as specified by the councillor. Unemployment rates are generally higher among women than men, apart from specific years like December 2013 and 2014, with 3,297 and 2,883 respectively, compared to 2,728 and 2,785 for men.
Among the sectors, the Services industry has experienced the highest unemployment rates, followed by construction, industry, and agriculture. In terms of age, individuals over 25 years find it more challenging to enter the job market, particularly those aged between 45 and 55, as per the mayor’s remarks. Consequently, the various employment schemes and free training courses initiated by the City Council, both in-person and online, primarily target this demographic.
In this context, Francisco Linares highlighted the significance of training, noting that the study also indicates that those with higher academic qualifications are more likely to secure employment in the past decade, thus emphasising a direct correlation between education level and employability.
The document reflects that from 2013 to 2023, unemployment figures among individuals with a higher education qualification fell by 45%; by 50% for those with secondary education (ESO); by 12% for vocational training graduates, and by 27% for those with only primary education. By June of this year, there were merely two job seekers without any form of education compared to eleven a decade earlier.
The councillor reminded the community about the opportunities provided by the School for Adults and Radio Ecca (Ecca Edu) to complete these studies, specialise, and gain official qualifications. “The data is encouraging and remarkable, yet we are not complacent; we continue striving for further progress, as our ultimate goal is full employment,” he asserted.
Deisy Ramos also remarked that in 2024, the trend of decreasing unemployment is expected to persist, with January recording 3,685 unemployed individuals compared to the 3,511 registered in June.
For this reason, the Training and Employment department is actively working to adjust employment models to meet the current market demands, particularly in relation to new technologies.
