ARCHIVED - Spanish unemployment fell in March but is still 400,000 higher than a year ago
A further 743,000 people are registered as being in work but are currently on furlough
The number of people registered as being out of work in Spain fell by 59,000 during March, according to the latest data published on Tuesday morning by the Ministry of Employment, dipping below 4 million to precisely 3,949,640.
However, this cannot be taken as an indication that the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic are yet being reversed, with the total still over 400,000 (or 11.3 per cent) higher than at the end of March 2020, when the initial pandemic lockdown was in place in this country. In addition, it has to be taken into account that a further 743,000 members of the workforce are still registered as being in employment but are currently furloughed and facing an uncertain future.
During the month of March the unemployment figures fell in 16 of the 17 regions of Spain, the most notable decreases being those of 3.4 per cent in Cantabria and 2.4 per cent in Galicia, while the only exception was a 0.8 per cent rise in the Basque Country. However, the opposite is the case with the year-on-year comparisons: only in Extremadura is the total reported to have dropped (by a minimal 0.25 per cent) while the increases are most significant in the islands (32.2 per cent in the Balearics and 23.3 per cent in the Canaries), Madrid (21.4 per cent) and Catalunya (23.1 per cent).