Jobless numbers in Spain fell by nearly 100,000 people in June, traditionally a good month for employment as the tourism season begins.
The number of people registered as unemployed fell by 98,853, or 2.1%, to 4.62 million in June from the previous month, the Labour Ministry said in a statement.
It was the steepest fall in unemployment numbers for the month of June since the series began in 1996, it said.
"June is traditionally good for the unemployment queue but we have never reached a decline of nearly 100,000 people," said Spain's state secretary for labour, Engracia Hidalgo.
"We will have to follow the development of the unemployment figures after this good data for June to verify whether we are turning towards a positive trend," she said in the statement.
The ministry's monthly tally is based on the number of people registering as unemployed.
A broader, quarterly household survey by the National Statistics Institute provides the official unemployment rate.
Barroso warns no quick fix to economic problems
Elsewhere, the President of the European Commission has told MEPs that while the financial crisis is not over, last week's summit was an expression of the political will to move ahead.
Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that if states meet their obligations the EU would be better equipped to meet the serious challenge ahead, but warned that there is no magic solution or quick fix.
He said it was necessary to make genuine economic and monetary union a reality as quickly as possible.
