The Economy of Catalonia

– Armed Forces: in the form of army, National Guard or military
police, needed to ensure the security of the territory, an estimated
18,296 to 29,274 people. These figures are proportionally low
compared with Spain but are proportional to the size of armed
forces in Europe, as stated in the annual data publication of the European
Defence Agency (2011) regarding the military and civilian
staff of European countries. The reference data are the minimum
and maximum average that we get after concluding that army personnel
is approximately 2.5 to 4 people per thousand inhabitants of
the country. The armed forces staff of the following countries is:
Slovakia: 20,435, Bulgaria: 37,272 Austria: 35,848, Sweden: 20,565
and Hungary: 24,633.
– Administration of Justice: the increase would be between 5,611
and 6,344 workers for the state structure and the increase of staff
necessary to modernize and adapt the Catalan legal system to the
level required for a modern democracy. The Catalan Administration
includes prisons in this section. In December 2012 this
amounted to 3,408 workers.
– State public sector of public bodies and organisations: we
estimate an amount of between 7,473 and 8,874 workers. As an
example of the number of staff accounted for by these bodies, the
staff of the Central Bank of Spain, at the end of 2012 was 2,620
workers (Bank of Spain, 2012).
– Total: the previous concepts listed amount to a range of between
51,043 and 71,596 new jobs to be created by the central government
of Catalonia to meet the needs of a state structure. In round
figures this is between 51,000 and 71,000.
A state created in the 21st century is expected to be modern and efficient.
If it is to be so in Catalonia, it is to be hoped that the increase in
new jobs would be at the lower end of the proposed range.
We should keep in mind that the jobs to be created by the Generalitat
are not the same thing as those to be created in the public sector. To
know the latter, the number of paid off Spanish State’s civil servants with
permanent residence in Catalonia must be deducted from the former.
Finally, it is important to note that, given the high level of unemployment
affecting Catalonia, there is no reason for any imbalances in the
128 The Economy of Catalonia