The Spanish government claims the worst is over, with unemployment increasing more slowly, and consumer confidence growing. The government credits an 8 billion euro public works plan used to create jobs. Last month, 39,478 jobs were shed in Spain, but months prior had seen numbers greater than 100,000. Regardless of the improvement, Spain is still expected to be affected the most by the global economic recession and recover more slowly than then the rest of the European Union. Furthermore, the public works projects are short term ? meaning the jobs being created won't last long. Many claim the government stimulus package is merely a short-term solution, and that Spain needs more drastic structural reforms to make a turn-around.
See "Spain job losses dive as govt plan kicks in", Paul Day, Guardian Unlimited (UK), May 4, 2009