Unemployment in Spain rose again in April, pushing the number of people relying on unemployment benefits to a record high of 5.2 million, as one of the world's most stringent coronavirus induced closures stopped the economy.
The Ministry of Labor said today that the number of people registered in Spain as unemployed rose by 7.97% in April compared to March’s rise of 9.31%, leaving 3.8 million people unemployed. The cost of benefits paid to 5.2 million people, in whole or in part, including unemployment benefits increased by 207% to €4.6 billion in April compared to last year’s €4.5 billion euros.
As many as 7 million people depend on the state (including unregistered workers and people on medical leave), nearly 30% of the working population, according to 2020 economic forecasts that Spain sent to Brussels.
The jobless figure remains at 3.8 million, far from the record 5 million reached in 2013 in the midst of the financial crisis that hit the country a decade ago.
