(Bloomberg) -- Chile's unemployment rate fell for the third straight month in a fresh sign that the economic recovery in one of Latin America's richest nations is slowly gaining steam.
The jobless rate declined to 11.6% in the three months through October, the national statistics agency reported on Friday. That figure was below the 11.7% median forecast of analysts in a Bloomberg survey.
“We are seeing a recovery trend toward pre-pandemic periods,” though risks remain, said Sandra Quijada, director of the country's statistics bureau INE.
Key Insights
- President Sebastian Pinera's administration has made employment a priority amid emergency spending against the coronavirus. In September, the government announced a job subsidy program worth about $2 billion
- The labor market is also being helped by the gradual easing of lockdowns against the pandemic, which is allowing stores and factories to reopen
- Despite gains in recent months, unemployment is still at historically high levels in comparable data that goes back to 2010
Get More
- The number of unemployed people rose 45.1% from the same period last year, to just over one million, according to the statistics agency
- The number of people in work fell by 14.8% during the same period
- Drop in occupied workers influenced mainly by retail, construction and tourism sectors
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
