SANTIAGO, Jun 1 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Chile’s unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent over the Feb to Apr three-month period, marking an annual increase of 1.2 percentage points, as a result of pandemic lockdown measures, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) said yesterday.
According to the INE’s latest National Employment Survey, unemployment during the period was due to a 0.2 percent decrease in the workforce.
“Employment has stabilised at levels lower than prior to the pandemic,” Economy Minister, Lucas Palacios said, adding, “although more than a million jobs have been created since the worst moment of the crisis, there is still another million to recover.”
Palacios said, the indicator was impacted by the “strict restrictions on mobility,” put in place by the Health Ministry, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, after a new wave of infections hit the South American nation in Mar.
The biggest drop in employment was seen in the informal sector, which saw a 13-percent decline in jobs, compared to a 1.2-percent dip in employment in the formal sector.
In 2020, Chile’s unemployment rate rose 3.5 percentage points due to the pandemic to reach 10.7 percent.
