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Madrid • Spain expects a six-year run of job destruction will end next year, when it predicts 622,000 jobs to be created.
The government Friday also revised its 2014 economy growth forecast upward one decimal point to 1.3 percent and raised the figure for 2015 from 1.8 percent to 2 percent.
Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said the government hopes the recovering economy will reduce the unemployment rate from a current 24.5 percent to 24.2 this year and to 22.2 percent by the end of 2015.
That would mean some 5 million would still be jobless, roughly the same number as when the Popular Party took office late 2011.
Spain fell into the first of two recessions in the second half of 2008. It emerged from the second slump late 2013.