MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unemployment in Punta Arenas remains stable at 2.6%

Unemployment in Magallanes Region in the extreme south of Chile was 2.6% in the three months period, February, March, April, compared to a national average of 7.6%, according to the latest release from the Statistics Office.

Magallanes figures in the short list of Chilean regions with the lowest unemployment, behind the 2.1% of Aisén. However there's a considerable difference between genders in Magallanes since women's rate is two and three times higher in some urban areas. According to INE numbers, Magallanes workforce in the three month period under consideration totaled 67.420 people, with a modest incorporation of 1.980 compared to the same period a year ago. The number of employed was reported at 65.570. More specifically in Punta Arenas the work force is estimated in 49.750 and the number of employed 48.460 with 1.290 unemployed which is equivalent to 2.6%. In Puerto Natales, unemployment reached 2.5% (5.1% for women and 1.2% for men) and in Porvernir, 5.7% (9.1% women and 4.2% men). At national level Chilean unemployment was 7.6%, which is higher than the same period a year ago, 6.8% and similar to the 7.6% of the Jan-March period.