MADRID, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The number of people out of work in Spain fell by 91,518 during April, according to figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security on Monday.
The reduction in the unemployment rate means that 3,163,566 people were registered as out of work at the end of April,5.71 percent down from that of the same period a year ago.
Unemployment has now fallen by 172,302 over the past 12 months.
The fact the Easter holidays fell in April this year is mainly responsible for the month's figures, with unemployment falling by 81,074 in the service sector as companies took on staff to cover rising demand from tourists.
Other sectors did not perform as well as the service sector, with a slight rise in the number of people out of work in construction (29), while the fall in unemployment in the agricultural and industrial sectors was not as much as in April 2018.
The month also showed the continued precarious nature of employment in Spain with only 174,980 of the 1,765,185 contracts signed during April (9.91 percent) for a permanent position, while the rest were for temporary or short-term work.
Speaking to the press following the publication of the data, Spain's acting Secretary of State for Employment and Social Security Yolanda Valdeolivas commented that "we are getting more and more effective so those who are actively looking for work are able to find it."
Meanwhile, Lola Santillana, secretary of employment, professional qualification and migration at the labor union Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), was cautiously positive about the figures.
"It is positive data, however, there is a high rotation in workers due to the abuse of short term contracts and the creation of quality jobs is something the government has to look at," she said.
