August is typically a bad month for jobs in Spain, and this year was no exception.

Unemployment rose by 21,679 individuals, while Social Security affiliation fell by 134,289 people.

These figures buck the upward trend seen in the stricken Spanish job market in recent quarters.

However, taking the last 12 months into account, the overall picture is one of strong growth, with unemployment dropping notably and contributions to the welfare system rising considerably.

The government is playing down the August figure by underscoring that in the previous eight years – coinciding with Spain’s economic crisis – the economy shed an average of more than 50,500 jobs during the same period.

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El País