Spain's jobless hits record 5 million in February

People queue to enter on an unemployment office, in Madrid, Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. Labor Ministry figures released Monday showed the registered jobless figure surged by 132,055 in January to 4.98 million. Spain is struggling to emerge from its second recession in just over three years.The country's unemployment rate was at 26 percent at the end of the fourth quarter, up 1 percent from the previous three-month period.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

 

MADRID (AP) — Spain now has a record five million people registered as unemployed as the country remains stuck in recession.

The Labor Ministry said Monday that the number of people on the unemployment list in February jumped by 59,444 compared with January, making for a total of 5.04 million.

Spain is battling to emerge from its second recession in just over three years with its economy still reeling from the collapse of the once-booming real estate sector.

The country's unemployment rate was at 26 percent at the end of the fourth quarter.

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