Spanish unemployment falls in May, but on temporary base

The number of people out of work in Spain fell by about 100,000 people in May to a total of around 4,900,000, according to data published on Tuesday by the ministry of employment and social security. May marks the third consecutive month of in which unemployment has fallen due to the arrival of the tourist season which sees hotels, restaurants, bars and related businesses take on more workers to cater to the high demand in services. May also sees a busy time in Spain's agricultural sector with an increased number of seasonal workers also finding employment. The precarious nature of many of the new jobs created is shown by the fact that 91.5 percent of the contracts given in May were temporary contracts, while there was a fall of 24.2 percent in the number of permanent contracts which were offered. Meanwhile the regions of Spain which saw the highest falls in unemployment are those of the Mediterranean coast, including Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia, which are the main tourist regions. Meanwhile less that 400 new jobs were created in the Basque region in the north of the country. However, the good news did carry on beyond the service and agricultural sectors as unemployment was reduced by around 19,000 in the construction sector. This is the best data for the month of May registered since records began to be kept in the current manner and the Spanish Secretary of State for Employment Engracia Hidalgo said that the average fall in the number of people out of work in May since 1997 was around 55,000, meaning the new figures are "almost double" the average. Nevertheless, May's positive figures cannot hide the fact that unemployment in Spain increased by around 180,000 people over the past 12 months. Minister of Employment Fatima Banez said that this data is positive but the government will keep its compromise to fight unemployment as they are not fully satisfied.