The Spanish labour market is still breaking records of recruitment and labour turnover. Social Security has not reached the level of the affiliate prior to the crisis up to June of this year. In contrast, already in 2015 were signed more contracts than before the arrival of the Great Recession (18.5 million per year). Two years later, in 2017, surpassing for the first time the figure of 20 million job contracts signed in 12 months. And that was not the roof, the figure has continued to grow after that, though ever more slowly, and 2019 has finished with 22,51 million.

New contracts

22,5

The contracts totals have increased by 63% since 2012

14,0

13,8

In 2019, the

indefinite contracts are less than a 10% of the total

2,2

1,3

1,1

2009

2012

2019

Source: Ministry of Labour.

THE COUNTRY

New contracts

22,5

The contracts totals have increased by 63% since 2012

14,0

13,8

In 2019, the

indefinite contracts are less than a 10% of the total

2,2

1,3

1,1

2009

2012

2019

Source: Ministry of Labour.

THE COUNTRY

New contracts

22,5

The contracts totals have increased by 63% since 2012

14,0

13,8

In 2019, the

indefinite contracts are less than a 10% of the total

2,2

1,3

1,1

2009

2012

2019

Source: Ministry of Labour.

THE COUNTRY

This data, which in many cases tries to present itself as a symptom of force labour, it is rather a proof of instability and rotation in jobs. A symptom of this phenomenon is that in the first 11 months of the year —the employment data disaggregated— 27% of all signed contracts lasting seven days or less. And if we expand the focus to of a month or less, the percentage grows to 48%.

these are Not the only figures that show the instability. Also the little prominence of fixed-term contracts: the were 2.16 million signed for 2019 represents only 9.6% of the total.

That figure of 2.16 million represents a step back on the indefinite 2018, when it amounted to 2.28 million. The argument that has been opposed to the Government to justify these figures is that in 2019 it abolished the contract of entrepreneurs of the labour market reform of 2012. And the figures seem to give the reason. Along 2018 was signed 290.567 of this modality, whereas the decrease among all the undefined was 125.490.

Although formally undefined, that contract allowed dismissal without compensation during the first year of operation. That is to say, the compensation to be paid in the event of the termination is lower than that of the temporary (the proportional part corresponding to 12 days per year worked).

when speaking of indefinite contract is there to clarify that it is about the flow of contracts that are signed each month or each year and that a fixed contract is not equal to a permanent job. For example, although fixed-term contracts accounted for 9.6%, in the percentage of employees with a post of indefinite working at around 75%.