Spain's unemployment rate leaps to record high

[pete2]

More than four million Spanish people are out of work. According to the country's National Statistics Institute a record high figure of 17.4 per cent were unemployed in the first quarter of the year.

Unemployment leapt from 13.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the biggest quarterly jump since 1976. Joblessness in Spain has almost doubled in a year. The Bank of Spain had previously forecast that unemployment would not surpass 17.1 per cent for the year. Alarmingly, 1,068,400 families have every member out of work.


And as the dole queues lengthen, labour unrest is growing. Two hundred pickets yesterday picketed a shipyard in the Basque country to protest at the employment of cheap Romanian and Portuguese workers that is threatening the jobs of 1,100 local workers...


Dominic Bryant, an economist with BNP Paribas, said: “The momentum is clearly there for something well above 20 per cent, it's odds on, really. My forecast is that it gets to something around about 23 per cent.”

EU freedom of movement goes from strength to strength, an ever closer union

Spain's unemployment rate leaps to record high - Times Online

[irelandproud]

Folks our unemployment rate is a lot higher than it is offically. The goverment are massaging the figures by adding 50,000 extra FAS places and other training schemes, as well as the 70,000 that are already on fas training courses this brings the number to 130,000 or more, these are not included on the live register but still get unemployment benefit, so basically we have about 500,000 on the dole at this stage here in Ireland, not the 370,000 that is being given.

[Cato]

I would guess that anything over a 20% unemployment rate and any country will begin to experience continuous and growing social unrest.

[irelandproud]

I would guess that anything over a 20% unemployment rate and any country will begin to experience continuous and growing social unrest.

Yes indeed and you wont have to wait too long for this to happen here, already vast numbers of people who went to Aus last summer and winter are returing home with tales of no work over there, i know of 7 people who have returned in the last 2 weeks alone.

[seabhcan]

Folks our unemployment rate is a lot higher than it is offically. The goverment are massaging the figures by adding 50,000 extra FAS places and other training schemes, as well as the 70,000 that are already on fas training courses this brings the number to 130,000 or more, these are not included on the live register but still get unemployment benefit, so basically we have about 500,000 on the dole at this stage here in Ireland, not the 370,000 that is being given.

Every country fakes their figures. In the UK if you have been unemployed for about 5 years they start encouraging you to switch to disability benefits due to the depression you feel because you are unemployed. Unemloyment in the UK is low by EU standards but their 'disabled' population is one of the highest in Europe.

In the US, they take you off the list when you've been out of work for 6 months. They just stop counting you as unemployed.

I'm sure Spain is fixing their numbers too - who knows what their real rate is.

[FutureTaoiseach]

But but...they voted yes! They're at 'the heart of Europe'. Isn't that supposed to be enough? This wasn't supposed to happen!

[Ramon21]

But but...they voted yes! They're at 'the heart of Europe'. Isn't that supposed to be enough? This wasn't supposed to happen!

Yes but we all know who we can blame here... ireland!!
Yes people start blaming ireland!

[marmurr1916]

I would guess that anything over a 20% unemployment rate and any country will begin to experience continuous and growing social unrest.

Ireland had real unemployment rates of well over 20% in the mid-1980s; however, emigration was an option back then...

[Clanrickard]

But but...they voted yes! They're at 'the heart of Europe'. Isn't that supposed to be enough? This wasn't supposed to happen!

LOL! You can't beat being at the heart of Europe. It is sooooooooooo advantageous.

[Ramon21]

LOL! You can't beat being at the heart of Europe. It is sooooooooooo advantageous.

No that is destroyed because of.... indeed ireland.
Everyone who lost there jobs, go blame ireland!