Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S unemployment rate went up in January compared to December, but was still at the lowest figure for that month since 2008, according to government data published on Tuesday.
The traditional January rise happens after seasonal contracts for workers in the retail and hospitality sectors end.
Some growth was reported in the transport and storage areas, while every other category fell.
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The Labour Ministry said 242,000 jobs disappeared last month- the biggest January fall since 2020.
The number of people registered as jobless rose by 1.51% in January from a month earlier, or by 38,725 people.
That means 2.60 million people are unemployed- 6% less than a year ago.
Despite the 242,000 lost jobs, there was a net gain of 491,000 positions compared to January 2024, with 21.1 million people working according to the Ministry for Social Security.
Spain had the highest registered people in work for January since the same month in 2008 when 2.2 million were employed.
Last month’s increase in unemployment is smaller than usual for the first month of the year.
In 2024, 60,404 unemployed were added and the previous year, 70,744.
The average January jobless increase in the last decade is 65,000 people- much higher than this year’s rise.
