Spain’s jobless total at 15-year high

March 3rd, 2011 - 11:47 am ICT by IANS  

Madrid, March 3 (IANS/EFE) Spain has nearly 4.3 million people without jobs, the highest total since the current statistical series began in 1996, the labour ministry has said.

In February, an additional 68,620 people registered as unemployed, a figure the ministry described as “bad”, though “a little better” than the corresponding numbers in February 2009 and 2010.

Unemployment rose 1.6 percent in February compared to January and by four percent compared to February 2010.

Spain’s service sector accounted for 39,569 of the newly unemployed, while 13,968 of the people who registered in February were first-time jobseekers.

The country’s economy is dealing with the combined effects of the global recession and the bursting of a long-term property bubble.

The impact has been particularly strong on the immigrant community that has swelled to almost five million, or more than 10 percent of Spain’s population.

–IANS/EFE
pm/rd

Related Stories

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted in Business |

Subscribe