Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2024 stood at 11.27%- the lowest figure between April and June for 16 years.
The National Institute of Statistics said on Friday that there are 2.75 million people registered as jobless while 21.68 million are in work- the highest ever figure.
Compared to the previous three months, the number of unemployed people decreased by 222,600 with seasonal jobs in the hospitality tourist sector among the factors for the fall.
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It accounted for 188,700 new positions, some 43.4% of the jobs created in the quarter.
The Balearic Islands which are dependent on tourism saw the biggest fall in unemployment compared to the previous quarter, going from 15.48% to 7.95%.
Unemployment also fell above the average 1.02% in Andalucia (1.51%), the Valencian Community (1.74%), La Rioja (1.9%) and Extremadura (2.21%).
Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said: “We are heading in the right direction.”
“Above the noise from the right and the far-right, Spain is moving forward, breaking employment records.”
There is an increasing prominence of female and foreign employees, with non-Spaniards and dual-nationals accounting for filling half of the new positions that have been created.
Despite falls in jobless totals, Spain continues to have the highest unemployment rate in Europe, at around double the EU average.
