Unemployment rises by 70,900 in Spain in the first quarter

The first quarter of 2022 has not been good for job creation in Spain. Unemployment has increased for the first time after five quarters of downward development.

According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), unemployment increased between January and March by 70,900 people, which is 2.3% more unemployed than in the previous quarter. In the same period, employment was reduced by 100,200 jobs (0.5% less).

At the end of March, in Spain there were 3,174,700 people unemployed and 20,084,700 employed, according to the Spanish statistical agency.

In the same period of 2021, unemployment had decreased by 65,800.

The unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2022 stood at 13.65%, which is 3 tenths more than in the previous quarter. In the last twelve months, this rate has shrunk by 2.33 percentage points and the number of unemployed has been reduced by 479,200 people, says the INE.

The destruction of jobs registered in the first three months of the year especially affected the private sector.