site.btaState Employment Agency Registers 6.7% Unemployment Rate in March When State of Emergency Was Introduced

April 15 (BTA) - The country's registered unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent was reported by the Employment Agency in March, the Agency's press centre said. Compared to the previous month, this makes an increase of 0.5 percentage points, and year-on-year the increase is by 0.8 percentage points.

Measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country and the state of emergency introduced on March 13 have a significant impact on the dynamics of unemployment, the statement said.

The total number of unemployed persons registered with labour offices at the end of the month was 220,072, which was 17,572 more than in February and 25,469 more than in March, 2019.

In March a total of 38,869 unemployed persons registered for use of the mediation and services of labour offices, 26,266 of which did so after the introduction of the state of emergency.

The number of newly registered unemployed persons who lost their jobs during the month was 23, 673, with 14,466 of them citing the coronavirus crisis as the cause. Among the newly registered unemployed in March, the largest share was recorded by those let go from the hotel and restaurant sector (46.4 per cent), followed by trade (18.8 per cent) and manufacturing (11.3 per cent).

The number of unemployed persons who found employment during the month was 16,835, with 92.7 per cent of them employed in the real economy. A total of 6,598 people have started work after the state of emergency was introduced.

In March, 1,222 people from at-risk groups started work in subsidized jobs - 736 under programs and measures for training and employment, and 486 - under schemes of the Human Resources Development Operational Programme.

The number of available job positions announced in the primary labor market during the month were 14,757, with 86.2 per cent of them in the private sector. The largest share of job vacancies was reported in the hotel and restaurant sector (21.1 per cent), manufacturing (21 per cent), trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (12.5 per cent), agriculture, forestry and fisheries (8.6 per cent) and in administration and support (8.5 per cent).

After March 13 and the introduction of the state of emergency, the total job vacancies in the labor offices were 5,757, the majority of which were for caregiving positions (babysitters, caregivers, orderlies, personal and health assistants). The tourism industry is still hiring staff, with a start date after May 15. More specialists in the field of information and communication technologies are being sough after, as well as call centre employees, cashiers and clerks in grocery stores and waste collection and treatment workers. NV/DT

/DT/