ANKARA

Spain's labor market added 840,700 new jobs in 2021, the most since 2005, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) said on Thursday.

The total number of people employed in the country reached almost 20.2 million, the highest level in 13 years, according to a survey published by the INE.

Meanwhile, unemployment fell by 615,900 people last year, bringing the rate to 13.33%, the lowest since 2008.

Like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic hit Spain's economy by destroying 622,000 jobs and causing unemployment of nearly 528,000 people in 2020.

The number of unemployed people closed the 2021 financial year at 3.1 million.