Slowdown in employment and sharp rise in number of people seeking work made this July the worst in Spanish history

Figures published by the government this Tuesday morning, 2 August, show that 7,366 jobs were lost and 3,230 more people registered as unemployed in July. More than 20.3 million workers are paying into the Social Security system, while the number of unemployed now stands at 2,883,812.

The government, however, is looking on the bright side. It says that when the figures are seasonally adjusted the number of people contributing to Social Security rose by 9,104 in July and employment had increased for 15 consecutive months.

Meanwhile, the unemployment figures for Andalucía, which were also released today, show that 2,263 people came off the register of unemployed last month and and it had the second-highest drop in unemployment in absolute terms. Currently, 762,539 people in the region are registered as looking for work.