| Not since 1993 (Q1) has unemployment risen faster than it did during the first three months of this year.
Unemployment rose by 246,000 during the first quarter to 2,174,000, or 9.6% of the working population - the highest since March 2005, when the rate stood at 10.19%.
However, the total is the highest since September 2004 when 2,180,900 were without work.
It seems that among the sectors hardest hit have been the construction and service industries.
The results of the latest Active Population Survey (EPA) were published this morning by the National Statistics Institute (INE). |