(Bloomberg) — Spanish unemployment unexpectedly rose in the first quarter, signaling stronger economic growth is not yet reaching the labor market.

The jobless rate increased to 23.78 percent from 23.7 percent in the previous quarter, the National Statistics Institute in Madrid said Thursday.

The increase marks the second consecutive quarter in which Spanish unemployment has risen. Economists forecast unemployment to stay unchanged for the quarter, according to the median of nine estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.

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