Moncloa has come up against rumors that point to an imminent government crisis, ensuring that President Pedro Sánchez “is focused on getting out of the pandemic and overcoming the economic crisis and the reunion agenda with Catalonia” after take out the possibility that he was considering making changes in the Council of Ministers before the summer that would affect even economic ministries.

In a statement released late on Thursday, Moncloa highlights that, in addition to joining efforts in the recovery after the health crisis and Catalonia (specific mention in the face of pardons to the procés leaders that seems to be arriving shortly), “the vaccination is the great priority at this moment and it will be the one that allows a rapid recovery of our country. “

In it, “two important milestones” stand out: the first, that today the figure of 10 million people will be vaccinated in Spain with the complete schedule and the second, that in the coming days the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Spanish economy will receive the definitive approval of the European Commission. “These are the main axes in which the president and his ministers and ministers are focused and not in rumors or comments, which only the president could confirm.”

In this sense, the statement recalls that “the chief executive has the exclusive prerogative and initiative to form or modify his cabinet, without such an end being communicated by other means than the president himself in the time and form that it determines, “thus discarding any source, even if it is part of one of the parties that make up the coalition government.

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, responded to this question this Friday during an interview on Cadena Ser in which she insisted that the Executive is “focused on cornering the virus and ending” the “damn pandemic.” To the rumors of remodeling, Darias has responded with a “I don’t know”.

So far there have only been two major changes in the Government since the pandemic began: Salvador Illa , who left the Ministry of Health to stand in the elections to the Generalitat of Catalonia, and Pablo Iglesias , the third vice president who left his chair to be a candidate for the presidency of the Community of Madrid and that he finally left politics after the elections.

The Spanish economy returns to cruising speed in May. This month, seasonally, is the best for employment as companies tend to turn to hiring for the summer campaign. The number of affiliated with Social Security increased by 211,923 people. It is the best figure since May 2018. Unemployment closed its best May in the historical series, falling by 129,378 people to 3,781,250. There are still 542,142 working people in Ertes. It is the lowest number of people without work, taking into account more unemployed workers affected by Ertes, since the employment protection schemes began.

According to the data published this Wednesday by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations published, Social Security gained 1.1% more contributors in May than those registered in April , a much greater rebound than that registered the same month of the year In the past, when 97,462 jobs were created in the middle of the pandemic, and slightly above that registered in 2019, when the occupation increased by 211,752 people.

The end of the state of alarm and the easing of restrictions led Social Security to exceed figures prior to the pandemic. And it is that in February 2020 that average affiliation was 19,250,229.

Within the General Regime, the average monthly affiliation increased in May by 196,475 workers (1.25%) and stood at 15,896,250 employed persons. The Special Agrarian System added 22,758 members, and the Home System grew by 1,393.

By sectors, this month there were more employed persons in all sectors of activity, but the ones that added the most were Hospitality , with 62,885 more affiliates (6.13%); Agriculture, Livestock, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing, 2,306 (3.05%); Construction, 14,052 more workers (1.59%) and Administrative Activities and Auxiliary Services, 16,682 more workers (1.29%).

On the map, all the autonomous communities added media affiliates in May. The Balearic Islands (5.81%), the Region of Murcia (2.35%) and La Rioja (2.20%), the most.

In the annual comparison, Social Security has gained 711,092 average affiliates (3.8% more), although the strong impact of the pandemic on the labor market in May 2020 must be taken into account .

Corrected the calendar, the system gained 45,434 contributors in May to 19,065,058 employed, thus ending three consecutive months of setbacks in the seasonally adjusted series.

It is the lowest number of unemployed since the end of the summer of 2020
For its part, registered unemployment fell by 3.3% compared to April, its largest monthly decline in the entire historical series that began in 1996.

According to data published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, the total volume of unemployed reached at the end of the fifth month of the year the figure of 3,781,250 unemployed, its lowest figure since the end of last summer. In the comparison with the unemployment registered in May 2020, the figure has fallen by 76,526 people, 1.98% less (the largest year-on-year decrease since October 2019).

Unemployment fell somewhat more in May among men (67,724 less) than among women (61,654). They represent 58.2% of the total unemployed (2,201,471) 16 percentage points above the 41.8% that they comprise (1,579,779 of the total).

The advance this month has been noted with great intensity among those under 25 years of age , with 32,990 fewer unemployed (9.27% ​​less), a percentage that triples that of the general fall of 3.3%.

By sectors, unemployment fell especially in services, where it fell by 93,327 people (-3.4%). It is followed by the group without previous employment (-9,344, -2.6%); industry (-9,403 unemployed, -3%); agriculture (-9,155, -4.8%) and construction (-8,149, -2.7%).

Regarding registered contracts, in May they amounted to 1,545,308 contracts, 81.6% more than in the same month of 2020 (full health crisis). Of that total, 156,148 were permanent, a figure that doubles that of May last year and represents 10.1% of all contracts.

In seasonally adjusted terms, registered unemployment fell last month by 29,428 people and in the annual comparison accumulates an increase of 76,526 people, which is almost 2% more .

It should be remembered, however, that the unemployment data does not include workers who are in suspension of employment or reduced hours as a result of a temporary employment regulation file (Erte), since the definition of registered unemployment does not count them as unemployed.

Almost 100,000 Ertes fewer
Regarding the number of Temporary Employment Regulation Files (Ertes), Social Security registered 542,142 people protected by this tool as of May 31, representing a decrease of 95,439 workers, according to provisional data collected by the agency. In addition, the number of Ertes associated with covid is thus at the lowest level since the start of the pandemic.

Of the total on the last day of May, 168,662 were suspended part-time. About 70% (375,325) were in any of the Erte modalities that were launched as of October 1, extended from February 1, and which entail exemptions to Social Security .

Among them, 227,431 people are included in Erte of ultra- protected sectors and their value chain, another 132,592 people in ERTE of limitation and 15,302 in Erte of impediment. Outside of these modalities, and without exemptions, there are another 166,817 people who remain in Erte de Fuerza Majeure or ETOP.

The number of workers in Erte represents 3.67% of the affiliates of the General Regime with a large sectoral concentration. The activities of Food and Beverage Services (153,616 workers in Erte) and Accommodation Services (90,689) concentrate 45.06% of the workers in this situation.

It should be noted that Travel Agencies and Tour Operators continue to have 57.88% of the affiliates of the sector under this protection instrument; Air Transport, 39.44%, and Accommodation Services, 38.33%.

All the provinces and the two autonomous cities closed the month with a decrease in the number of people in Erte, highlighting, with falls of more than 20%, Lleida, Asturias, Murcia, Melilla and the three provinces of the Valencian Community.

In several provinces, the total percentage of affiliates in Erte is already down 2%. It occurs in Guadalajara (1.59%), Murcia (1.65%), Ciudad Real (1.71%), Badajoz (1.75%), Jaén (1.77%) and Huelva (1.85%) ). In areas with greater tourist activity, however, the percentage is higher. Specifically, Las Palmas is the province with the most workers in Erte (13.72% of its affiliates), followed by Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 10.87%, and the Balearic Islands, with 6.85%.

Data from the Ministry of Labor show that spending on benefits reached 2,500 million euros in the month of April (latest data available), of which 632 million corresponded to benefits for workers in Erte, compared to 720 million in the month of March.

The airlines begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel that has been the Covid-19 . In Spain, the end of the state of alarm on May 9 gave the starting signal to trips that for more than a year have been reduced to a minimum. Airlines have been planning a return to operations for weeks and have designed their route map “cautiously” while looking at the end of restrictions in neighboring countries.

The big brands that operate in our country – such as Iberia , Vueling, Air Europa, Ryanair or Easyjet, among others – have focused their planning efforts on recovering connections with Latin America and Europe, leaving Asia, the first region to accuse the virus, for a second moment, when the countries of this continent open borders.

In addition, they have taken the opportunity to recover routes that in previous summer periods had been discarded, such as some of the domestic ones , due to lack of aircraft that are now being redirected. Given the new summer season in which domestic tourism is expected to be booming , the different brands have opted for a schedule in which this type of flight has more weight than ever before, trying to reach 70% of capacity 2019 total.

Ryanair has programmed the largest domestic flight map in its history, with more than 70 routes that connect the most touristy Spanish destinations . Iberia has also done the same through its Express brand, which in July and August will recover the capacity it had in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands in 2019. In addition, its alliance with Air Nostrum will also allow the entire offer of the regional airline to be recovered with compared to 2019, with 60 additional cross routes to those operated for Iberia with origin or destination in Madrid.

Without leaving the IAG Group, Vueling , which operates based in Barcelona, ​​has also opted for the national market, with 26 domestic routes from Barcelona to other parts of the country.

Europe regains its rhythm
Outside our borders, Europe is picking up its pace by leaps and bounds. The airlines have recovered a large part of their summer routes that, beyond the big cities of the Old Continent in which during the last months the correct frequencies have been maintained to survive, they add destinations such as the Greek islands, areas of southern Italy or Star markets for the summer like Croatia, with different connections to cities like Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar.

Portugal will also be a vacation spot for Spaniards and most of the airlines operating in our country have recovered almost all of their connections with the neighboring country. Air France-KLM , for its part, will operate various routes to Paris and Amsterdam from eight Spanish airports, including the new connection that connects the latter city with Palma de Mallorca.

And the fact is that the presence of international airlines in our country not only allows foreigners to enjoy their vacations on our coast, it also opens the door for nationals to explore other geographies.

Latin America remains
The other great destination par excellence from Spain is Latin America. The Madrid Barajas hub connects, through numerous airlines, including Iberia, Air Europa and Iberojet (formerly Evelop) , the capital with almost all Latin American countries.

During the worst months of the pandemic, many of them reduced the frequency of their flights, even eliminating some routes, but they maintained the natural connection that exists between both regions. With the end of the state of alarm, the advance of the vaccination and the improvement of the forecasts, the airlines have started to work to recover the pre-pandemic traffic and have reinforced routes that were maintained and added others.

On the other hand, the enormous differences that exist between each of the Latin American countries make it very difficult to generalize the recovery situation in the region.

Iberia , for example, this summer will have connections with 18 destinations in Latin America , highlighting its direct operations with Guayaquil (Ecuador) and, as of July, also the route with Cali and San Juan de Puerto Rico.

In addition, it is still pending the opening of Venezuela to resume the connection with Caracas. For its part, the old Evelop has decided to expand its connections with fully tourist markets, such as Cuba, and take up other vacation markets, such as Cancun.

Timid reopening of the US
The great market pending to recover is the United States. Although all the large airlines that operate from Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas or from El Prat have maintained an active connection checkpoint with the country now governed by Joe Biden, the recovery is taking longer than desired, but the first green shoots that could put airplanes connecting both parts of the Atlantic Ocean back in the sky.

The North American country continues to have its borders closed to Europeans , with few exceptions, which makes it difficult to return to normality. In the last week, the European Union made a first gesture of rapprochement, allowing the entry of US nationals into community territory.

With their sights set on the next step, companies have started to gradually recover their flights with this country. In this sense, Air Europa – immersed in the purchase operation by Iberia – has announced that it will resume its flights to Miami on June 12, and will resume its operations to New York from the 25 of that same month with three connections a week.

Iberia , for its part, maintained flights to New York and Miami for months, but as of this Tuesday it also incorporates connections with Chicago to its network. In addition, from the month of July it will add Boston and Los Angeles to its list of destinations.

Foreign flag airlines, such as Delta , are also improving their frequencies between the Iberian Peninsula and the United States. Specifically, Delta maintained a daily flight between Madrid and New York JFK . As of June 6, it will add three weekly flights that will connect Barcelona and New York JFK. In addition, in August it will add one more to its connection map, which will allow Catalan passengers to fly to Atlanta , also with a frequency of three flights a week.

The aeronautical sector trusts that “sooner rather than later” the usual frequencies with the United States will recover, pointing to July as the key date for the reactivation of connections between both areas. In this sense, the CEO of IAG, Luis Gallego, pointed out a few days ago that he expected flights to the United States to be available at the end of June or early July “at the latest”, so flight planning with the the other side of the pond has begun to move for an early reactivation of mobility.

More than 60% of the American population has already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, which has accelerated the return to normality of the country chaired by Joe Biden , in which the vaccinated can now do without the mask, even indoors.

This fact allows the airline sector to be optimistic regarding the recovery of its operations, waiting for the opening of borders for Europeans who have received the vaccine against the virus that has had the sector frozen for months in the short term.

Africa, little by little
The opening of Africa is also being timid. The airlines have recovered some connections with the Maghreb countries, such as Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco , but the closure of the latter’s borders, which lasts until, at least, next June 10, means that the return of tourism is still An utopia.

In another vein, companies such as Iberia or Vueling continue to operate routes from Madrid and Barcelona with other sub-Saharan African countries , such as Senegal or Gambia.

At the level of holiday destinations, the old Evelop, now baptized as Iberojet , will carry out a route that will connect Madrid with the Mauritius Islands during the summer season.

Asia is still pending
But if there is a market that is still on the list of pending destinations for airlines operating in Spain, that is Asia . To the already known problem of connection of the Iberian Peninsula with this area of ​​the globe due to the lack of connections, is added the drop in the frequencies of the existing ones or even the elimination of some routes due to the impact of Covid-19.

Asian countries are reactivating their mobility in very different ways. Thus, for example, while Spain has already opened its borders to travelers from Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand or Singapore, certain regions of the Great Wall country have once again vetoed flights after discovering several cases of contagion. This is the case of Guangzhou, where the authorities have even closed streets to stop community transmission. With this scenario, airlines have avoided resuming their flights while waiting for an improvement in mobility prospects.

There are active routes to the Middle East , such as the one operated by Etihad Airways that connects Barcelona and Madrid with the United Arab Emirates, one of the main European ports to reach destinations in the Far East due to the lack of direct connections.

In addition, vacation destinations, such as the Maldives , have joined the list of routes for airlines such as Iberia, which connects Madrid with the paradise of turquoise waters in the middle of the Indian Ocean in a direct flight of just over 11 hours.