Spain: Unemployment rate edges up in the first quarter
The jobless rate edged up to 14.7% in the first quarter of 2019 from 14.5% in the final quarter of 2018, which had marked the lowest reading in a decade. The climb, however, largely reflected a seasonal effect as unemployment tends to increase at the outset of the year due to layoffs of temporary staff across the services industry following the winter holiday season. In absolute terms, the number of unemployed stood at 3.35 million, slightly above the 3.30 million jobless recorded in Q4 2018.
Employment losses were centered in the services sector, which shed 109,200 jobs in the first quarter owing to the end of the Christmas season. In contrast, the agricultural sector added 14,100 jobs while the industrial and construction sectors did not experience a significant variation in employment. Temporary jobs were down 185,800 in Q1, contrasting the 89,900 permanent positions created. Meanwhile, the total workforce declined marginally by 43,500 in Q1 to a total of 22.8 million.