FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Employment up 2% in second quarter

Employment up 2% in second quarter

Job figures improved in the second quarter of 2021 but unemployment remains high due to the Covid-19 crisis, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said on Wednesday.

Second-quarter employment rose by 2 per cent year on year, with farm and non-farm employment rising 2.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively.

Rising employment in the construction, hotel, restaurants and logistics sectors was offset by falls in manufacturing and retail.

A gradual rise was seen in export businesses, such as computer, electronics, rubber products and auto manufacturing.

However, unemployment remained high, with 730,000 people or 1.89 per cent jobless, said NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan.

Of them, 290,000 were new graduates and 440,000 had been laid off.

He said 310,000 people, or 2.8 per cent of social security recipients, had claimed unemployment assistance in the second quarter.

Many workers had been affected by the economic impact of Covid-19 restrictions, said Danucha.

The 29 provinces under lockdown measures have 10.2 million workers but only 5.5 per cent of these were able to work from home, he added.

The government should subsidise wages for the self-employed, 7.3 million of whom would be affected by the restrictions, said the NESDC chief.

"The government should also launch guidelines to help the unemployed become self-employed," he added.

nationthailand