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[rob]

Spain's jobless rate soars to 17%

Spain's unemployment rate is nearly double the EU average

Spain's unemployment rate hit 17.4% at the end of March, figures have shown, with the jobless total now having doubled over the past 12 months.

In the past year, two million people have lost their jobs taking the total out of work to just over four million.

The Bank of Spain recently predicted the jobless rate would reach 19.4% in 2010, as the recession took hold.

"It is a terrible figure," Octavio Granado, secretary of state for social security told state television.

He said the first quarter of any year was traditionally bad for employment in Spain.

Mr Granado also said that 2009 was expected to be the worst part of the economic downturn.

"So we are in the epicentre of the crisis. We are in the eye of the perfect storm," he said.

The National Statistics Institute said Spain's jobless rate at the end of the first quarter was up 3.45 percentage points from the end of 2008.

The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Madrid says the country has become used to grim unemployment data, but Friday's figures are especially shocking.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will hope that the government's 70bn-euro ($92bn; £63bn) stimulus package will now create new jobs - above all in public works projects due to begin this month, our correspondent says.

But critics say deeper reforms of the labour market are needed - to eliminate red tape, and reduce the costs of hiring and firing permanent staff, he adds.

Under the current rules, many employers prefer to offer temporary contracts to staff who are then let go at the first sign of trouble.
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[rob]

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Spain rose in April, but by the smallest amount in nine months, official data has shown.

Another 39,478 people registered as unemployed last month, compared with 123,543 who registered in March, Spain's Labour Ministry said.

Economy Minister Elena Salgado said a government plan to award 400,000 local public work jobs was having an effect.

At 17.4%, Spain's unemployment rate is the highest in the European Union (EU).

The average across the 27 EU countries is 8.3%.

April was the third straight month in which the rate of increase eased.

Figures for the month would have been kept down by the Easter holidays, when many hotels and restaurants take on extra temporary staff.

Spain's economy has been been hit hard by the collapse of its construction industry in the global downturn.

The European Commission has forecast that the Spanish unemployment rate will rise to more than 20% next year.

It also says it will be the last EU member to come out of recession, probably some time in 2011.
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[lisaloo]

Hi

I witnessed that with many local people in Tenerife going bar to bar looking for work. One chap I recognised as he had been a waiter in the same place for years and was made redundant and was only picking up casual work. Also I heard of a bunch of local builders that drink in my local and they had been to work and they were not paid their wages and were really fed up to put it nicely.

[PerfecTRlz]

Everything is exploooodiiinggg in Tenerife! No work, no money, lot's of hunger and thirst! We're all gonna dieeeee =P... yes, things are quite bad, but at least there is sun and beach. I love the south of the island =)

[rob]

I love the whole Island, however I live in the South because I prefer the weather here.
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[PerfecTRlz]

Yes, I agree, great weather... and that's coming from someone who sleeps on the beach xD... =)... lots of british around here, must be a popular destination for holidays. I love british, they're clean and polite... !... and they sing on pubs and bars, great songs =P

[TenerifeSolicitors]

I read in one of the free papers that Tenerife's actual jobless rate is now at 26% !!! That's over one in four people are on the dole...
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[rob]

Yes I read that same report...... even more horrendous when you take into account that over 55% of the working population works for government and they have jobs for life! That means that the private sector is really struggling. The tax office should read all the Spanish and English newspapers and check out all the people operating companies in the black who have the neck to advertise their illegal 'businesses'. It would mean that at least those companies operating legally would not be at a disadvantage when it comes to quoting for business.
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Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing.