Spain Unemployment Falls to Seven-Year Low Amid Budget Talks
- Jobless rate drops to 18.6% in boost for prime minister
- Government sees growth of 2.5% this year while budget pending
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Spanish unemployment fell to a seven-year low in the fourth quarter in a boost for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has made job creation the centerpiece of his administration.
The jobless rate dropped to 18.6 percent in the three months through December, the National Statistics Office said in Madrid on Thursday. That’s down from 18.9 percent in the third quarter and compares with a Bloomberg survey of economists predicting a decline to 18.7 percent.