MADRID: Spain's economy grew faster than most others in the euro zone from July to September, but turning the recovery into votes in the national election next month still looks like a struggle for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Output expanded by 0.8 percent in the third quarter from the second, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said, as household spending recovered more from its crisis levels.
But falling wages, job insecurity and an unemployment rate of 21 percent are still weighing on many families. With weeks to go until the Dec. 20 vote, Rajoy's centre-right People's Party (PP) has made only modest gains in the polls.
The PP is still far off a majority in parliament after years of spending cuts and corruption scandals.
"There's no quality work to be had," said Sergi, a cook who has been working in the picturesque walled city of Cuenca for the past six months. He declined to give his surname.
A veteran of hotels and restaurants from Madrid to Spain's coastal regions, the 39-year-old said jobs in the sector were not lacking.
Tourism accounts for around 11 percent of Spain's output, and the best year on record in terms of foreign visitors has helped boost the number of jobs in restaurants, hotels and other parts of the service sector.
But many positions are temporary, and while salaries for head chefs reached over 1,800 euros ($1,910) a month as recently as 2010, they barely come to 1,000 euros now, he added.
Spain's economy has rebounded from recession since mid-2013 thanks to an export boom and a consumer spending revival linked to falling unemployment.
Rajoy's government is credited with helping to stem job losses through a labour reform that gave companies more room to manoeuvre on salaries.
But the reform has failed to tackle employers' abuse of short-term contracts. The gap between Spain's highest earners and its poorest is on the rise, economists say.
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