Unemployment falls for sixth straight month as workforce grows by 84,000

Official unemployment figures fell 0.35 percent in March, representing the sixth consecutive month of decline. The total official number of jobless people in Spain now stands at 4,795,866.

Meanwhile, 83,984 people were added to the Social Security rolls, representing a monthly increase of 0.52 percent. This figure is taken to represent the formal workforce.

Year on year, the workforce grew 0.71 percent and jobless claims fell 4.75 percent, a decline without precedent since June 2000, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Labor Ministry.

The good news had already begun in February, which registered a year-on-year rise in new hires for the first time since the beginning of the troubles in the labor market.

In yet another sign of the slow recovery in employment, seasonally adjusted additions to Social Security also grew for the seventh consecutive month. This job creation coincides with growth forecasts for the Spanish economy.

Broken down by area, unemployment fell in 13 regions, particularly Valencia, Catalonia and Galicia, and rose in four, chiefly Andalusia and the Basque Country. By sector, joblessness grew in agriculture and fell in industry, construction and services.

The official jobless rate in Spain in the last quarter of 2013 was 26 percent.