Statement by President of the Government on unemployment and National Insurance contributor figures for 2016

Sanxenxo, Pontevedra (Spain)

The figures we have seen this morning, both in relation to the fall in unemployment and the increase in the number of National Insurance contributors, are good figures and, above all, encouraging ones. The number of National Insurance contributors this year has risen by more than half a million, as was the case in both 2014 and 2015, and the main target at this time is to see this repeated in 2017, 2018 and 2019 in order to reach the figure of 20 million people in work in our country.

These figures are good for those who have found work, good for companies because having to recruit means things are going well for them and they are also good for pensioners because there are now more National Insurance contributors; but, above all, these figures are good for other people who at this time should not lose hope. There are still a great many people who are looking for a job, there are too many of them, but we are working to ensure they can find one, and the fact that there are many people who have managed to find one will assuredly spur us on to continue in our endeavours so that everyone else can also do likewise.