The number of unemployed in Spain stood in June at its lowest level since 2008, including a significant drop in the number of young people out of work, fresh government figures published on Tuesday, three weeks ahead of the general election, have revealed.
According to new data from Spain’s state employment service (SEPE), the number of people registered as unemployed fell in June by 50,268 compared to the previous month, to 2,688,842. For the first time since 2008, the figure fell below 2.7 million people (13%), EURACTIV´s partner EFE reported.
In terms of employment, the Spanish Social Security system added 54,541 affiliates in June, leaving the total number of employed at a new record of 20,869,940 people.
Unemployment among people under 25 fell by 3,552 in June, leaving the total at a new low of 184,491.
“This is the best news we could have given”, said Tuesday Yolanda Díaz, the Spanish Labour Minister and leader of the progressive platform Sumar, in an interview aired by public broadcaster RTVE.
Díaz claimed that the progressive government’s policies, such as the labour market reform and the increase of the minimum wage, “are an indicator that public policies are working for the good of the country”.
Despite Díaz´s optimism, the country still has a long way to go before claiming victory over its long-standing structural unemployment problem.
According to Eurostat figures, youth unemployment in Spain stood at 29.3% in March, the second highest figure compared to the rest of the EU bloc after Greece (29.7%).
However, she pointed out that “as long as there is a family with an unemployed member of the household, we must continue working”.
She added that the “challenge for the country” at the moment is to “converge” with the average unemployment rate in the European Union (5.9 % in May, according to Eurostat).
The leftist minister, currently with Unidas Podemos (EU Left), warned that if centre-right Partido Popular (PP/EPP) wins the 23 July general election, “of course, things could change”.
(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.EURACTIV.es)
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