According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a computer error caused the institute’s website to show data from the first quarter’s labor force survey.

ABC newspaper took advantage of the glitch and accessed the data, to find that Spain’s unemployment rate had reached 20.5 per cent in the first three months of 2010. Should the data turn out to be correct, this would be the first time in 13 years that unemployment exceeds 20%.

The same data would show that 4.6127 million people are out of a job in Spain, revealing a 286,000 rise compared to the previous year.

The INE has however denied that the figures are final and is suggesting that only on Friday will the definite figures be published and officially disclosed.