Unemployment in Catalonia falls by 1,200 people in the first quarter of the year

Unemployment rate stands at 10.23%

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Aturats waiting for their turn at an office of the Catalan Employment Service (SOY). Pere Virgili

BarcelonaThe data for January, February and March published by the Ministry of Labour already hinted that unemployment in Catalonia would continue its downward trend of the last nine months, albeit with a smaller drop. This Thursday the Labour Force Survey published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) corroborate it.

According to the survey the number of unemployed fell in Catalonia by 1,200 people during the first quarter of the year. The unemployment rate, however, is still above 10%. At 10.23%, Catalonia's unemployment rate is the third lowest in Spain, only above the Basque Country (8.69%) and Aragon (10.23%). At the other end are the Canary Islands (20.30%), Andalusia (19.43%) and Extremadura (18.98%).

In Spain, on the other hand, the number of unemployed rose by 70,900 between January and March, bringing the unemployment rate to 13.65%.