Concern was mounting in Spain today over soaring unemployment which new official figures put at 17.36 per cent in the first quarter, according to dpa. Last year's fourth quarter figure of 13.9 per cent was already the highest in the European Union. The number of jobless broke through the level of 4 million, which the government had previously ruled out and which was the highest number since comparable statistics started in 1976. More than 1 million households have reported family members out of work. Economy Minister Elena Salgado admitted that the figures were "worse than expected," but expressed confidence they would start improving this month. Conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy described the situation as "dramatic," while Ignacio Toxo of the trade union CCOO threatened a general strike. Salgado earlier said the government still had a margin of manoeuvre to adopt new measures, after already launching several stimulus packages to boost employment. The government was expected to make it easier for city councils and small and medium-size enterprises to obtain loans. Spain's economy slipped into a recession late last year after being hit by the collapse of the key property sector and the international crisis. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank of Spain expect the gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink by 3 per cent this year.
