Human Potential
Employment
The construction industry is one of the key sectors for employment Youth and the high rate of activity, which has reached 58.44%, according to the latest census, characterise human resources in Elche. Industry and the services analysed in a general manner are occupied by almost 90% of the workforce. The key sectors of employment are the manufacturing industry (with 24.8% of the workers registered with Social Security in 2004), both retail and wholesale commerce (25.6%) and construction (12.7% of those registered). Together they make up 63% of the total number registered with Social Security in the municipal district, a figure reaching 64,890 towards the end of 2004, meaning a clear improvement compared to the year 2000, when this figure was fixed at 55,499. This means an increase of 16.9% over a period of four years, a clear example of the success of economic activity in Elche.
The youth of Elche and high rate of economic activity characterizes its workforceThe labour market is experiencing a process of compensation in its sectors. After a long period of dependence on the monoculture of the shoe industry, recently this tendency has undergone changes. In 2004 the manufacturing of footwear employed over 16% of the workers registered with Social Security, whereas commerce and other services on an equal footing reached 25.6%, construction 12.7%, property services 10.1% and the hotel and catering trade 5.6%.
The presence of workers of varying nationalities is growing in the local labour market and reached a number of 6,046 in 2004, representing 9.1% of employees registered with Social Security. The foreigners who integrated themselves into the society and economy of Elche (mainly Moroccans, Ecuadorians, Colombians and Argentinians) largely offer their services in construction (29.2% of the total number), agriculture (7.4%), household services (6.2%) and the manufacturing industry (5.9%).
