Recorded unemployed fell by 118,923 in April in Spain

USPA NEWS - The number of recorded unemployed at the Spanish Public Employment Services fell by 118,923 in April. This is the largest fall in unemployment in a month of April since records began. In the last seven years, recorded unemployment in April has fallen by an average of over 25,000.

In seasonally-adjusted terms, recorded unemployment fell by 50,160, the best figure posted for a month of April. With the exception of July 2014, the number of unemployed in seasonally-adjusted terms has been falling month-by-month since May 2013 and has now fallen for a total of 24 months. In the last 12 months, recorded unemployment has fallen by 351,285. This is the largest year-on-year reduction in unemployment since current records began, standing at -7.5% year-on-year. Following this fall, the total figure of unemployed stands at 4,333,016, 89,343 recorded unemployed less than in December 2011.

Recorded unemployment has fallen in all sectors where the unemployed are registered. Unemployment among those who most recently worked in the service sector fell by 72,284 (-2.5%). The same trend was seen among those coming from the construction sector down by 19,449, (-3.8%), the industrial sector down by 11, 555 (-2.6%) and the agriculture sector down by 15, 219, (6.8%). The number of unemployed first-time job-seekers rose by 184. Unemployment has fallen in 17 autonomous regions. The largest decreases in absolute terms were posted by Catalonia (-18,681) Andalusia (-14,425) and the Region of Madrid (-12,160).

The number of new employment contracts recorded in April amounted to 1,440,381. This represents an increase of 11.1% on the same month of 2014. Accumulated hiring in the first four months of 2015 hit the figure of 5,476,901, an increase of 12.62% on the same period last year. Accumulated permanent employment contracts increased by 17.58% on the same period of 2014, with full-time contracts up by 20.69% in the first four months of the year.

The State Secretary for Employment, Engracia Hidalgo, stressed that the data published on Tuesday show that the "sound upward trend of recent months in the labour market" continues its process of consolidation. "We should continue working so that the recovery of stable and quality employment increasingly affects a greater number of people in our country,“ she said.