Spain's labour market continues to recover

Madrid, April 5 (IANS) The Spanish labour market continued to add jobs in March despite the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, according to the country's Public Employment Service (SEPE).

The number of people registered as out of work decreased by 2,921 to 3,108,763 and a further 140,232 people have been enrolled in the country's social security system, Xinhua news agency quoted the SEPE as saying on Monday.

The current jobless rate is the lowest since the start of the economic crisis in March 2008 and 840,877 lower than a year ago, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, 19,958,479 people are now affiliated to the social security system, hitting the "highest ever level", according to the SEPE website.

Spain's economy was negatively affected in March by the spiraling energy costs, caused partly by the Russia-Ukraine war.

These price rises have prompted a three-week stoppage by the country's truck drivers, causing national supply-chain problems amid a somewhat stagnating labour market in the second half of the month.