Number of recorded unemployed posts biggest May fall ever at 117,985

In seasonally-adjusted terms, unemployment fell by 34,160, the best figure ever for a month of May. With the exception of July 2014, the number of unemployed in seasonally-adjusted terms has been falling month-by-month since May 2013, and has now fallen for a total of 25 months.

In the last 12 months, recorded unemployment has fallen by 357,354. This is the largest year-on-year reduction in unemployment since current records began, standing at -7.82% year-on-year.

Following this fall, the total figure of unemployed stands at 4,215,031, a reduction of 207,328 recorded unemployed compared with December 2011.

Recorded unemployment has fallen in all sectors. Unemployment among those who most recently worked in the service sector fell by 68,826 (-2.44%). The same trend was seen among those coming from the construction sector (down 17,520, -3.53%); the industrial sector (down 12,874, -3.01%); and the agriculture sector (down 14,142, -6.75%). The number of unemployed first-time jobseekers fell by 4,623 (-1.21%).

Recorded unemployment has fallen in all 17 autonomous regions, notably in Catalonia (-21.075), the Region of Madrid (-16,097) and the Region of Valencia (-14,161).

Full-time permanent contracts increase by 18.4%

A total of 1,573,293 new contracts were recorded in May. This represents an increase of 7.9% on the same month in 2014. Accumulated hiring in the first five months of 2015 has grown by 11.5% on the same period last year.

Permanent employment contracts have increased by 7.5% on the number a year ago, and permanent full-time contracts have increased by 9.5%.

Permanent employment contracts have increased in the first five months of the year by 15.4% on the same period last year, and the number of full-time permanent contracts by 18.4%.

Consolidation of sound upward trend in labour market

The State Secretary for Employment, Engracia Hidalgo, stressed that the data published on Tuesday show that the "clearly positive" trend in the labour market has become consolidated, based on the reforms implemented by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security during this Government's term of office.

"We should continue working on this basis, as this is the only way we can ensure that the recovery of stable and quality employment increasingly affects a greater number of people in our country," she said.