Reuters reports that the Labour Ministry data showed that an eight-month decline in Spanish jobless slowed almost to a halt in October, as the galvanising effect of eased COVID-19 restrictions began to wear off.
Just 734 fewer people registered as searching for work than in the previous month, a decline of 0.02%, down from drops of more than 2% in the previous months.
Still, the data marks the first time unemployment has fallen in October, when joblessness tends to rise as short-term work in tourism and farming dries up, since 1975.
Spain added 102,474 net jobs over the month, while some 48,512 people dropped out of a national furlough scheme to leave 190,718 supported by the programme, separate data from the Social Security Ministry showed.