Rise And Fall

Spain’s unemployment figures rose with the latest returns coming out just hours after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced that the general election will be held on Sunday, December 20th. The underlying annual trend though remains positive with a big fall compared to a year ago. Jobs are likely to be the key issue for voters, with Rajoy pegging his re-election campaign to faster growth and job creation, promising to have 20 million people at work by the end of his second term up from the current 17 million.

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The number of registered unemployed rose in September by 26,087, reaching 4.09 million in total, according to data released on Friday by the Employment and Social Security ministry. In annual terms, the number of unemployed decreased by 353,608 people, compared to the same month last year, marking the largest decline ever recorded for September over a one year period.

The same trends were reflected locally, with Alicante Province having a registered unemployment figure of 186 thousand, some twelve hundred more than for August, with seasonal reductions in the hospitality industry coming into play. The Alicante figures were still eight percent less for September compared to the same month last year. 130 thousand people are on the Murcia regional dole queues, and actually bucked the national trend by having a tiny fall of 179 compared to August’s returns, with an annual reduction of eight percent.