Jobholders in Spain reach all-time-high

Madrid, July 28 (IANS) The number of jobholders in Spain has reached an all-time-high of about 21.96 million, the country's Statistical Office said.

In its quarterly Economically Active Population Survey (EPA), the office said that 610,000 new jobs were created in the private sector linked mainly to the tourism and service, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, the number of people registered as unemployed fell by 365,300 between April and June, meaning 2,762,500 people without a job. This corresponds to an 11.6 per cent unemployment rate.

While the number of people working in the public sector has decreased by 6,200, the unemployment data is still the best since 2008, especially as the data from 15 years ago was partly due to an overheated construction sector, which subsequently lead to a financial and economic crisis.

The number of unemployed fell by 208,600 and 23,400 in the service and construction sectors, respectively.

Seven of Spain's autonomous regions, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Aragon, Navarra, Euskadi, La Rioja and Cantabria now have unemployment rates below 10 per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calvino called the quarterly figures "historical" data, while praising the "strength and dynamism of the Spanish economy", which now benefits "both families and companies".

Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is currently in negotiations to form a government in the wake of last week's general election, called the results "extraordinary data that shows the strength of our economy".