MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unemployment stable in Chile.

Unemployment in Chile reached 9,6% in the April-June quarter according to the latest release from the national Statistics Institute.

The official release indicates that in similar periods unemployment has ranged between 9 and 10% with the highest in 2001 with 9,7% and the lowest in 2003, with 9,1%.

Before that during the nineties unemployment in the April-June quarter was below 8% with the exception of 1999 when it jumped to 10,8%.

According to the release in the last twelve months ending June, the labor force increased 1,2% and compared to the previous quarter dropped 0,3% with the number of employed growing 0,6% compared to a year ago.

Unemployment among men was actually 8,8% for men and 11,2% for women.

A second report, but from the University of Chile Economy Department indicates that during June unemployment in metropolitan Santiago actually dropped 1,8% and now stands at 11,6%.

The metropolitan Santiago labor force totals 2,878,400 and the unemployed 333,500. The unemployment rate among men remained unchanged at 11,2% while for women it dropped to 12,1% from 12,9%.

By age unemployment for 14/19 years old increased from 30,7 to 32,1%; for 20/24 years old it dropped from 23,9 to 20%.

Unemployment has remained as one of the week spots of the strong recovery of the Chilean economy which this year is forecasted to expand over 4,5%.