RTTNews reports that according to the report from statistical office INE, Spain's unemployment rate increased in the third quarter to the highest level since early 2018 as the coronavirus pandemic took its toll on the labor market.

The unemployment rate rose to 16.26 percent in the third quarter from 15.33 percent in the second quarter. This was the third consecutive rise and was also above economists' forecast of 15.9 percent.

The number of unemployed increased to 3.722 million from 3.368 million in the preceding quarter. At the same time, employment advanced by 569,600 to 19.176 million in the third quarter.