Spain jobless claims down sharply in June

[July 02, 2010]  MADRID (AP) -- Spain says the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell by nearly 84,000 in June as companies stepped up hiring for the summer tourism season.

The 2 percent drop marked the third straight monthly decline and made for the best month of June -- traditionally good for job-creation in Spain -- since 1997, the Labor Ministry said.

Still, the number of people receiving joblessness benefits is 11.7 percent higher than it was a year ago and now stands at 3,982,368.

Spain's overall unemployment rate is released separately by the National Statistics Institute and now stands at just over 20 percent, the highest in the eurozone.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.