The fragile nature of Europe’s economic recovery was laid bare Tuesday as unemployment burst through the 15 million barrier in the single currency eurozone.

As leaders of G20 economies prepare to cross swords on post-crisis strategy, the number of people out of work in the 16 countries that use the euro hit a 10-year high in July, official EU data showed.

It comes after three months of falls because of the Government’s temporary E program

Unemployment in Spain has risen again after three months of falls. The forecasts from the Ministry for Employment have been met with an increase of 84,985 people in the number of people registered at INEM employment offices for August, taking the total number out of work to 3,629,080.

The increase is the second worst August number ever, beaten only by the increase seen in August last year.

Unemployment levels across the 16 countries that use the euro hit a 10-year high in July, as the impact of the recession continued to be felt.

The number of people unemployed across the eurozone region totalled 15.1 million people in July, a seasonally-adjusted rate of 9.5%.

This was the worst monthly percentage figure recorded since May 1999.

The rate across all 27 members of the European Union was 9% – a total of 21.8 million people out of work.

The region of Andalucia has the lowest average wages in Spain, the Spanish government has revealed.

According to figures published by Spain’s economy and finance ministry, the Ministerio de Hacienda, more than seven out of ten people in Andalucia earn less than 1,100 euros a month.

This means that a total of 3.7 million people in Andalucia earn this wage, situating Andalucia top of the list of lowest average wages in Spain, followed by Cataluña, Madrid and the Valencian community.

In this post I would just like to ask a very simple question. What is the real rate of growth of unemployment in Spain? Are things improving, getting worse, or simply staying the same? Now, before you jump to too many conclusions on this it is important to remember that in the world of economic analysis there are lies, damn lies, and then there are press releases.

The government may decide to extend the measure to more of the out of work after the row that only those whose benefits ran out after the end of July are eligible

The Prime Minister says he will meet with unions to discuss a possible extension to the 420 € supplementary benefit announced for the long-term unemployed, after the row which erupted with the news that only those unemployment benefits ran out after the end of July are eligible. It means that only around 340,000 of the unemployed can currently apply, and leaves out of the new measure more than 1.2 million people who receive no type of income from the state.

The EPA figure shows a 126,700 increase in the second quarter

The number of unemployed in Spain has risen in the second quarter of the year according to the Survey of the Active Population, EPA, published by the INE National Statistics Institute.

Their numbers show a 126,700 increase to take the total number out of work to 4,137,500 or 17.92% of the active population.

It’s the second consecutive monthly fall, according to the numbers from INEM

Unemployment in Spain fell by 1.5% or 55,250 people in June, according to the official figures just released by the employment agency INEM.

It’s the second consecutive monthly fall and is in contrast to a rise of nearly 37,000 unemployed in June last year. The number fell by 25,000 in May this year.
The Secretary General for Employment, Maravilla Rojo, described the number as ‘good news’.

Spanish unemployment fell in May for the first time in 12 months, by 24,741 people, the employment ministry said on Tuesday.

The total number of unemployed was 3.620 million in May, the ministry said.

“It is certainly good news, which must be analysed carefully because it will be necessary to observe the development of economic activity in the coming months,” said secretary general for employment Maravillas Rojo.

The Bank of Spain has predicted that the country’s rate of unemployment will reach 17.1% in 2009 and 19.4% in 2010.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, with a rate of 15.5% in February, nearly double the EU average, according to Eurostat.

The Bank of Spain is also predicting that the public deficit will hit 8.3% this year and 8.7% in 2010, which is well over the eurozone limit of 3%.

Spain’s socialist government approved a fresh package of measures Friday aimed at fighting the sharp rise in unemployment in the country, which has reached the highest level in the European Union.

The measures include subsidies for companies that hire an unemployed person as well as lower social security payments for firms that reduce working hours instead of dismissing workers, the government said in a statement.

The BCC report also warns that painful tax rises and spending cuts will soon be required to start paying off the huge debts the Government is running up.

Official unemployment figures are rising and currently stand at 2 million, but in its latest economic report, the BCC says that the peak will be much higher.

Some 3.2 million people will be out of work by the second half of 2010, the BCC says. That is just over one in ten of the workforce.

Unemployment across the nations that share the euro has risen again to its highest level in more than two years, as more firms laid off staff.

The eurozone unemployment rate totalled 8.2% in January, according to the latest official European Union data.

The figures is up from a revised 8.1% in December and above the 7.3% figure in January 2008, said the EU.

199,838 people signed on in Spain during the month of January. 3.327 million people in Spain are now out of work, 1.065 million more than this time last year. Opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, thinks Spain is now in a state of national emergency. Of course his views are politically motivated, however, it is obvious to everyone who lives in Spain that there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. And it is no longer just the construction sector shedding jobs. 136,610 jobs that were lost in January came from the service sector. With a respectful nod to The Sun: can the last person to leave Spain please turn off the lights! (Via Xpat)

The number of people out of work in Spain rose 6.35 percent to 3,327,000 in January compared with the previous month, the highest level for 12 years, the labour ministry announced on Tuesday.

By the end of January there were 3,327,801 unemployed workers in Spain, up 198,838, the highest number since 1996, when the current method of calculation was introduced.