MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas among three cities with lowest unemployment

During the second quarter of this year Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile is again the country's region with the lowest unemployment level, 2.8%, while Punta Arenas and Porvenir are among the three cities with less people out of jobs, according to the latest release from the Labor Statistics Office.

However at national level unemployment in Chile reached 6.9% which is 2.06 points less than a year ago but 0.1% up from the previous quarter. The number of employed in Chile in the Q2 increased 3.4% over the previous period while the overall workforce increased 1.2% in the last twelve months. Porvenir has become the city with the lowest unemployment, 2.1%, followed by Aisen with 2.6% and Punta Arenas, 3.1%. However in near by Puerto Natales the situation is not so encouraging, 6.1%. The 3.1% unemployment rate in Punta Arenas means that compared to the same period a year ago, 3.610 more people have jobs. Similarly the number of unemployed dropped 830. Gabriel Parada, Magallanes region Statistics Office representative said that the labor force in the second quarter was estimated at 66.030 people, with 64.150 employed and 1.870 out of a job. Outside the labor force statistics register another 55.830 people. The industries where employment most expanded compared to the previous quarter include construction (plus 240); public utilities such as water, gas and electricity (290) and retailing (500). In metropolitan Santiago unemployment dropped from 9% to 7.2% in the last twelve months. Overall in Chile all sectors helped boost employment figures: construction, 5.1%; manufacturing, 4.5% and retailing, 3.7%. This represents an estimated 108.090 new jobs equivalent to just over 50% of total jobs created (212.800) compared to the previous quarter. Also encouraging Agriculture, hunting and fisheries as well as Mining for the second quarter running recorded a positive employment performance, 0.9% and 3.8%, putting an end to the erosion of jobs in both industries. Particularly important is agriculture since in Chile it absorbs 11.5% of total employment