Can EU Believe It? Spain and Italy Make Up Half of All Unemployment Figures in Europe’s Coronavirus Crisis

Italy, and then Spain, were the first European countries to feel the full impact of the coronavirus crisis and this has been reflected in the unemployment numbers, as the two nations make up for half of all the lost jobs in the EU.

THE pandemic, slowly but surely, made its way from the East to the West. It began in China, developed in Europe and finally settled in the Americas, but undoubtedly it has shaped our modern world.

The strict quarantine measures enacted in both Spain and Italy caused a near-paralysis to sectors such as the tourism and hospitality industry – two sectors which these countries are heavily reliant on.

Both southern countries account for around 46 per cent of all lost employment in the eurozone. In the hospitality, commerce and transport industry they account for 51 per cent of all lost employment.

Eurostat data also shows that Spain lost an overwhelming 5 per cent of working time in its first quarter of 2020 when compared to the previous quarter. This is the second-worst figure in the European Union, only behind Greece.

Despite Greece’s efforts to contain the virus, which were comparably successful, they have still suffered from some of the worst unemployment figures during the pandemic.