For a long time (too long) Madrid has been living together and fighting unemployment, one of the main social problems that haunts each of its 21 districts. The capital is home to 143,473 people registered with the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), of which 22,386 (15%) are foreigners. According to data provided by the City Council, the number of unemployed people at the end of September increased by 755 compared to the previous month. A figure that follows the usual growth trend, although it reflects a moderation of the increases that characterize this month. However, compared to September 2022, unemployment experienced a slight improvement: it fell by 2,792 people (-1.9%).

"Madrid is a powerhouse that creates companies and, therefore, the production of jobs continues to grow. There are unfilled job offers and the reality is that some aspects of how we understand work and how technology works have changed," Belén García Díaz, Director General of Employment of the Community of Madrid, told GRAN MADRID.

And if there is a district of Madrid where unemployment is suffocating with intensity, it is Puente de Vallecas, where 240,000 inhabitants live. The number of people registered with the SEPE amounts to 15,453 people, which means that 6.4% of its population is unemployed. Villaverde, despite having 9,529 unemployed people, occupies second place in this ranking as this figure represents 6% of its 149,000 residents. The podium in the capital is completed by Usera, with 8,168 (5.7%), while Villa de Vallecas remains on the prowl: 6,471 unemployed (5.5%).

"Experience tells us that there are people with lower qualifications in these areas and that is reflected in the market. These job offers may not be filled because other skills are in demand. The reality is that the south of Madrid has the highest unemployment. For this reason, last year we carried out an analysis with 10 municipalities in the south to empower young people with low qualifications and give them an opportunity for job training," recalls García. He adds: "Overall, the gap between low and high qualifications is widening. The pandemic also plays a big part in this. From then on, digital skills came into play, what we call the digital mindset."

The opposite pole appears, logically, in the north of the capital where the three districts with the lowest percentage of unemployment are located: Chamartín (2.5%), Salamanca (2.6%) and Chamberí (2.7%). Areas where large companies rest and, therefore, where there is more work.

If the X-ray focuses on the neighborhoods, Entrevías (Puente Vallecas) is the one with the highest percentage of unemployed in the entire city: 7.4%. In second place is the Historic Centre of Vallecas, with 2,814 people (7%) and Villaverde Alto is on the third step (6.7%). "Housing is cheaper here, which means that certain profiles come to this neighbourhood first. That conditions their employability quite a bit," José Antonio Alba Cantero, director of the Villaverde Employment Office, told this newspaper. The social reality of each of the corners of Madrid scribbles the graph on the day-to-day life in the streets of the neighborhoods. About that unemployment that, in this specific case, punishes many families who have found a refuge there.

Another crude fact. There are 57,756 long-term unemployed, of whom 35,159 (61%) are women. The SEPE considers long-term unemployed to be those who have been unemployed for 12 months or more and are looking for a new job. "Long-term unemployment is taking on a burden that we don't want. We want people to get a job as quickly as possible," says the head of Employment of the Community of Madrid. "We are doing a lot of workshops on motivation and job search, since people who are long-term unemployed have very low motivation, especially people over 45 years of age," he adds.

Employment offices have job counsellors and technicians to help inactive people find work more effectively. "The most important active policy that is being developed is the one that concerns employment guidance on the diagnosis of employability. There, an office technician gives the person a photograph of how they are positioned in the technical competencies. We have to encourage people to come to the offices because here there are many professionals who detect this employability diagnosis and develop the training part," says the director of the Villaverde Office, who highlights the existence of eight types of workshops. "The key is to change the way you think; If the person thinks they're not going to be hired, they're not going to do it. If that changes, everything changes."

Another of the most resonant categories of unemployment is that of people who receive economic benefits: of the 61,575 who receive unemployment, 53% are women and 47% men. The remaining 81,898 unemployed who do not receive any financial assistance are divided into 50,030 women and 32,997 men. "Historically, we continue to believe that women are the ones who are responsible for the care of children or the elderly. That makes it difficult for them to be available when it comes to finding a job, they don't have the same schedule as men. Despite all that we have evolved for real equality of opportunities, there is still progress to be made," concludes Villaverde's employment director, referring to the great difference between men and women.

With the advancement of technology, the ways of looking for work have changed. For example, the use of social networks or even the different applications that have been acting as channels for years. However, there is also a rather thorny reality: not all people, especially older people, are familiar with these new fashions. "We have a portfolio of services that includes guidance services, prescription of vocational training for employment, and the labor intermediation part. Here there are many public employment resources that are not known and we have to promote them," says Belén García. "Face-to-face workshops are essential. Seeing a group of people who are in the same situation as you is totally different," says the head of employment for the Community. Undoubtedly, one of the most important activities of employment offices is to help unemployed people find work. They themselves highlight the importance of face-to-face attendance in their workshops.

The X-ray of unemployment in the capital draws a series of epigraphs that explain part of the reality of Madrid. Namely, that the southern districts are the areas with the greatest deprivation. Or that 60% of the stops are women. Or that foreigners account for 15% of the unemployed.

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  • Unemployment