News

Spain says claims for unemployment benefits rose in August by about 61,000, ending four months of decline as temporary summer work contracts began to expire.

The Labor Ministry said Thursday the number of people claiming benefits now stands at 3,969,661.

The overall jobless rate stands at about 20 percent as Spain struggles to crawl out of nearly two years of recession.

Finance Minister Elena Salgado said Thursday''s figure was "not bad" because claims traditionally rise in August as temporary workers in the tourism industry see their contracts run out. She noted that in 2007, when the economy was red hot, claims still rose by 58,000.

Over the past 12 months the number of people filing for benefits has risen 9.3 percent.