Spain's national statistics agency said retail hiring in November grew 1.8% on last year, the fastest rate since Spain entered a deep recession in 2008.
In Italy, figures on Tuesday showed business confidence fell in December, but remained close to recent highs.
Italy and Spain are the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies.
Spanish
retail sales increased 3.3% in November compared to last year, the
sixteenth consecutive month of growth, according to the National
Statistics Institute.
Christmas confidence
Many retailers are confident this will be the best Christmas period for business since the country's recovery started.
Higher household spending in Spain this year, fuelled by falling oil prices and tax cuts, has helped to boost Spanish shops and drive economic growth.
Spain's
economy grew 0.8% in the third quarter, while the growth rate in Italy
was lower than expected at 0.2%, according to EU figures.
Despite the slowdown, morale among Italian businesses and consumers remains high.
Business
confidence fell to 105.8 from 107.1 in November, according to Italian
statistic agency ISTAT's composite business morale index, which combines
surveys of the manufacturing, retail, construction and services
sectors.
Consumer confidence dropped to 117.6 from a record high of 118.4 in November, although it was still above analyst expectations.
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