FRANCE The

Figure 2:
percentage change between 1990 and 2001
15
10
5
0
–5
–10
–15
–20
–25
–0.9%
(–24,900)
–22.9%
(–609,900)
3.8%
(122,300)
Important changes have taken place in Spain which have led the INE
to revise its 1995 projections. The average number of children per
woman has increased4 , and Spain is currently witnessing a rapid
inflow of immigrant population from third countries. Moreover, the
immigrant population is younger than the national average, and their
employment rates are higher than the national average. The size of
the immigrant population from third countries has multiplied six
fold between 1990 and 20015 and the number of foreign workers
registered with the social security system increased in 2002 (up to
November) by 239,149 workers, which means 48% of those newly
affiliated in these months. In the context of an ageing population, it
should be taken into account that an immigrant labour force could
help solve the problem of future labour shortages, at least
temporarily.
In any case, in spite of these changes which make projections
somewhat unreliable, there is no doubt that the Spanish population is
ageing. The resulting old age dependency ratios show an increasing
tendency up to the year 2015, when it is forecast to reach 28% of
working age population. A comparison with the EU average suggests
a slightly more favourable situation in Spain by the year 2010, where
the Spanish ratio would be 26.8% compared to an EU15 ratio of
27.3% 6 .
2. Trends and developments in the labour market
–7.6%
(–257,900)
2.1. Participation rates
Participation rates have always been much lower in Spain than the
EU average. The EU activity rate currently exceeds that of Spain by
4.5 percentage points (in 2001, the respective ratios were 69.2% and
64.7% 7 ), though the gap has steadily diminished over recent years.
6.1%
(871,600) 4.3%
(663,700)
4.5%
(464,600)
16–19 20–24 25–54 55+
9.8%
(1,035,700)
Spring 2003 | European Employment Observatory Review 141
age
1990–1995
1996–2001
Trends
Table one shows participation rates in Spain, detailed by age and
gender, from 1990 to 2001. It can be seen that, whereas male
participation declines sharply from the age of 50 onwards, the
pattern of female participation is one of gradual decline from the age
group 35-39.
As for the evolution over time, participation in the labour market has
increased notably since 1995, though at very different rates if age and
gender are considered. Whereas it has decreased among the under
25s, as a result of longer periods spent in full time education, and
among the over 65s, it has increased well above average among
workers aged 45-64. This has been due, to a great extent, to the
greater participation of women in the labour market, which is
particularly marked among women between 40 and 59. However, the
growth experienced by those aged 60-64 has been mostly due to the
increase in male rather than female participation; and the decreasing
rate among those younger than 25 has been exclusively due to the
decrease in young female participation rates.
As result of these movements, the gender gap in participation rates
has considerably diminished over the decade from 34.1 points in 1990
to 25.1 points in year 2001. This gap is still, however, the second
largest one among the EU-countries8 . Moreover, as shown in the
graph below, the size of this gap increases steadily from the age group
30-34 (5 points) to the age group 55-59, where it reaches 23 points.
The differences among women over the age of 60 are less
pronounced.
This analysis shows firstly that there is scope for increasing
participation rates among older workers, particularly among women.
The sharp drop in male participation rates from age 50 suggest that
some factors are preventing these men from staying in the labour
market. The low female rates are more likely to point to difficulties in
entering/staying in the labour market at much earlier ages: the
4 The average number of children in Spain reached a minimum in 1996 with 1.166 children per woman, and has since risen to 1.242 in 2001. This rise has been mainly
due to immigrant women, for the number of births of Spanish mothers even decreased by 2000 with respect to previous year. (Source: observed data by INE).
5 Source: Home office Ministry, Anuario Estadístico de Extranjería (several years).
6 Source: Eurostat – Demographic statistics
7 European Commission (2002), Employment in Europe 2002. The ratios used in the comparison refer to active population aged 15-64 over total population in the
same age group. The data reflected in the table below, however, refer to population aged 16+, reason why the ratios in the table are inferior to the ones referring to the
comparison.
8 Source: Eurostat, LFS, in Increasing Labour Force participation and promoting active ageing.