Spain posts surprisingly strong dip in jobless numbers

The government in Spain has said the number of unemployed people in the country has gone down markedly in recent weeks. It was a rare piece of good news from a national economy still stuck in recession. 

The Spanish Labor Ministry announced the number of people registered as unemployed fell by almost 2 percent in May or 98,000 people, leaving 4.89 million out of work in the southern European nation.

The ministry viewed the figures as a gratifying sign, saying they were boosting hopes for a fledgling recovery of an economy still reeling from a 2008 real estate market crash.