President of the Government assesses Labour Force Survey data released on Thursday

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

He also stressed that over 500,000 new jobs have been created in the last 12 months and that unemployment has fallen by 488,000 in the last year.

The President of the Government explained that "new jobs are being created in almost every sector, mainly in industry and construction". He then added that the majority are "permanent jobs".

Mariano Rajoy said there is no doubt that "we still have a great deal more to do, but these are figures we should celebrate because they are good, crystal clear and indisputable. They are the best figures since the start of the crisis and clearly show we are on the right course".

The President of the Government believes "the goal should now be to persevere, continue doing the right thing so that, this year and next, our efforts can create half a million new jobs each year".

He went on to add that "this is not a pipe-dream because, between us all, it is already happening. That's what the Labour Force Survey tells us today".

In conclusion, the President of the Government said "our goal is to recover a Spain with 20 million people in work. We are going to focus our efforts on that because that is what we need for a healthy economy with good public services. And, above all, because it is what we want for all those Spaniards who are yet to find a job but who, with the data released today, have reason to be hopeful".