El mercado de trabajo español y la unión económica y monetaria europea

Resumen

This paper reviews the situation of the Spanish labour market, putting an special emphasis on those aspects which can determine the benefits of the integration of the Spanish economy in the economic andmonetary union (EMU). This analysis starts by describing the main differences between some of the indicators of the labour market behaviour in Spain and the restof the European Union (EU). The main causes for whichthe unemployment rate in Spain is approximately twicethe average rate in EU are then identified, as well as the institutional factors of the Spanish labour market which are behind those causes. The last section of the paper analyses, on the grounds of the previous findings, the probable impact of the EMU on unemployment in Spain in the short and long term.