UGT has lamented the missed opportunity to use the region's "economic success" to enact structural reforms that would enhance the quality of life for residents. This statement follows the analysis of the third quarter EPA (Active Population Survey) data, which indicates record employment levels amidst a growing active population.
The EPA data for July, August, and September reveals that there were 708,700 employed individuals in the archipelago, representing a 5.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Additionally, the number of unemployed individuals has decreased to 34,400, a 16.3% drop.
Pedro Homar, the General Secretary of UGT, pointed out that there has been no shift in the economic model to address seasonality and prevent a "poor" and "precarious" society lacking access to housing. He emphasised that there is still room to increase wages, reduce working hours, and reform unfair dismissals to ensure they are neither too easy nor too cheap.
Furthermore, Homar highlighted that the EPA data, along with registered unemployment figures, demonstrate that the process of regularising migrants has not had the impact that the far-right had intended. He stated, "It is proven that criminalising a group and blaming them for everything that goes wrong is a fallacy propagated by the far-right, and it is something we must all combat together."
