New unemployment definition

Ruling EC 1987/2000 establishes a new operative definition of unemployment.

The formal definition of an unemployed persons does not change; the international definition from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) continues to be used, but the new regulation introduces instructions on how to interpret the active job search.

According to the said regulation, active methods of looking are considered, in the four weeks previous to the survey, the following:

• Being in contact with a public employment office with the objective of finding work, whoever has taken the initiative (renewal of registration for purely administrative reasons does not constitute active planning).
  
• Being in contact with a private office (temp agency, company specialised in contracting, etc.) with the objective of finding work.
  
• Send a candidature directly to employers.
  
• Search via personal contacts, unions, etc.
  
• Announce or answer newspaper advertisements.
  
• Study employment offers.
  
• Participate in a test, competition or interview in the framework of a contracting procedure.
  
• Look for land, premises or material.
  
• Carry out what is necessary to obtain permits, licences or financial resources.
  

Spain is especially affected by the requirements demanded from persons whose only way of looking is registering in public employment offices. Previously, the mere registration as a job seeker, valid for three months, was enough to consider the person unemployed.

As of 2002, in agreement with that indicated in the previous list of active measures, it is required to have had contact with the said offices, with the objective of finding work, so that the person is considered unemployed. The objective of finding work is fulfilled if the person registers for the first time after a period of employment or inactivity, is informed about possible job offers or receives a job offer from the office.

Thus, a percentage of the persons who until 2002 had been considered unemployed, were now considered inactive. .

The INE modified the 2001 questionnaires in order to be able to register both the new and the old definition and thus be able to quantify the impact of the change. In general, the modification causes a decrease in unemployment in both absolute and relative terms.

 Commission Regulation Nº 1897/2000 of 7 September 2000 for which application dispositions of Reg. 577/98 are established relative to the organisation of a sample survey on the active population in the Community for which the operative definition of unemployment is respected. (PDF file 40 Kb).