Unemployment in Spain rises with the end of holiday season

Unemployment rose in Spain in September, according to latest figures published by Spain's Ministry of Employment and Social Security on Wednesday. The number of people registered as out of work in Spain climbed by 25,572 to leave the total number of unemployed at 4.7 million, 0.41 percent higher than the same period in 2012. The climb in unemployment puts an end to a positive summer in Spain in which the unemployment figures benefited from a booming tourist sector. With the tourist season winding down, the service sector was the hardest hit, as hotels and restaurants begin to lay off staff who had worked over the summer on short-term contracts. Close to 52,000 people who had worked in the service sector saw their employment end last month. In contrast to this, there was a fall in the number of people out of work in the agricultural sector, where just over 14,000 people found work. Meanwhile, almost 7,000 new positions were created in the industrial sector and 16,793 in construction. Unemployment among young people continues to be on the rise, with the number of unemployed people aged under 25 rising 7.04 percent in September. Unemployment in Spain is expected to rise again in October as the holiday season draws to a definitive close and the remaining temporary contracts in the tourist sector come to an end.