MADRID: The number of people out of work in Spain fell by 225,200 to just below the 6 million mark at the end of the second quarter, it was confirmed on July 25 by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The data published in the latest Inquest into the Active Population (EPA) shows 26.26 per cent of the Spanish population are currently unemployed, marking the largest fall in the EPA since 2008 when the economic crisis began.

However, analysts said the results should still be approached with caution given the holiday season in Spain which sees the creation of jobs in the service sector from the start of April.

Meanwhile, the number of people who work or who are actively looking for work in Spain fell by 76,100.

INE calculated that only 149,000 new jobs were created in the second quarter, back to a level experienced in mid-2011.

The arrival of the fruit picking season had a positive effect in agriculture, with 37,500 jobs created, although most tend to be short-term positions requiring a mobile population.

A further 26,500 jobs disappeared in the country’s beleaguered construction sector, which shows no signs of recovery. Another 16,800 jobs disappeared in the industrial sector as manufacturing in Spain continued to struggle.

(XINHUA)