Spanish unemployment rises to 10.4 percent

The number of people unemployed increased by 207,400 in the second quarter for a rounded total of 2.4 million, the National Statistics Institute said in a statement.

The institute said the number of people employed was 20.4 million.

Unemployment was 9.6 percent in the first quarter.

Spain has been one of Europe's main motors of job creation for more than a decade, but the economy has cooled sharply as the country's booming construction industry slows in the face of higher interest rates and tighter lending conditions from banks.