The mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena , has proposed allowing undocumented immigrants to work legally as temporary workers in sectors such as construction where there is a shortage of workers, reports RTVE.es. Carmena argued that the proposal is necessary both for the "dignity" of immigrants  and for the "demand" of Madrid, and "above all" for Madrid’s city council which has numerous development projects and “not enough construction workers.” Meanwhile, Spain’s Minister of Employment and Social Security Fátima Báñez said that the vacancies in Madrid should be filled by the registered unemployed rather than by migrant temporary workers. Báñez stated that, with the current level of unemployment, "we cannot afford to leave any vacancy unfulfilled in the construction companies of Spain." Eurostat’s data showed Spain’s unemployment rate stood at 16.1% in March.