Spain's jobless numbers go down in December

Spain's registered jobless number go down by 59,000 to 4.8 million in December

Associated Press

MADRID (AP) -- The number of people registered as unemployed in Spain has gone down, bringing some cheer as the country looks to emerge from recession in 2013.

Labor Ministry figures released Thursday showed the registered jobless figure dropped by 59,094 in December compared to November, making for a rounded total of 4.8 million people listed as unemployed.

Spain is in the throes of its second recession in just over three years. Its economy has been battered by a collapse in the once-key real estate sector.

Over the whole year, some 426,000 people joined the unemployed ranks, an increase of 9.6 percent on 2011.

Spain's unemployment rate was at 25 percent at the end of the third quarter.