MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unemployment in Spain soars to 12 year high, 11.3%

The number of unemployed people in Spain in October reached a 12-year high of 11.3%, according to the Labour Ministry, the highest level in Europe.

As recession looms in Spain, European Union statistics put the jobless figure even higher at 11.9%. The number claiming unemployment benefit increased by 192.658 (7%) to 2.818.026, the highest level since April 1996. A severe slowdown in the construction industry has been one of the main causes of the economic slowdown in Spain. Recent figures showed that the economy contracted by 0.2% in the third quarter compared to the previous three-month period. Since October 2007, the number of those claiming jobless benefits has risen 37.5%. Last Monday the government set out a plan to help unemployed people who had difficulty keeping up with mortgage payments. "The data is most worrying and reflect the direct impact of the international financial crisis which in Spain has triggered a general slowdown in activity and an exceptional increase in unemployment", said Employment Director Maravillas Rojo. October unemployment has soared in all sectors of the economy: services up 7.4%; construction, 8.1%; manufacturing, 6.1% and farming, 10.5%. Compared to the previous year men's jobless was up 66.3% and for women, 18.9%.