FANTASTIC FIGURES

THE Costa del Sol has been given a boost just in time for the Easter celebrations as its employment figures have now been released.

According to the data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy on May 4, the Costa del Sol registered one of the biggest drops in unemployment in March for the whole of Spain.

Following the habitual winter spike in unemployment, the labour market has seemingly bounced back bigger, better and stronger.

Hiring in the services sector due to the start of the tourist season has led to a drop of almost 4,000 unemployed in the province of Malaga, which stands at 137,660 unemployed at the end of the last month.

This figure represents a fall of 14,651 unemployed compared to 2022, making March 2023 the best March in recent years.

By municipalities, Es ­ tepona is the town with the lowest unemployment among the large towns.

The autonomous community of Andalucia led the drop in unemployment in Spain in March, with 15,284 fewer unemployed registered in offices of the public employment services (formerly INEM).

87.62 per cent

A RECENT report by the Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS) has been welcomed by Benalmadena.

The very favourable report puts the expected hotel occupancy in Benalmadena at 87.62 per cent for Easter Week.

The mayor and councillor of Benalmadena, Víctor Navas, confirmed: “Benalmadena is the second destination in the province of Malaga in overnight stays for Easter, placing us 10 per cent above what was recorded last year during these dates.

“This is a good symptom of the strength of our tourism sector.”

The mayor added: “Benalmadena is a tourist destination with enormous strength: not only are we growing in popu­