MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Slight increase in Chile's unemployment; Magallanes 2.8%

Unemployment in the extreme south of Chile, Magallanes Region increased half a percentage point during the last quarter of last year, compared to the previous quarter, but still is one of the lowest of the country according to the latest release from the Statistics Institute, INE.

The jobless rate now stands at 2.8% which is 0.8 percentage points higher than the same period a year ago. Chile's average unemployment in the last quarter of last year was 7.5%, up 0.3 percentage point over a year ago, but remained unmoved compared to the previous quarter. Magallanes work force in the last quarter of 2008 totalled 64.470 people of which 62.640 had jobs, with the unemployed adding to 1.830. Magallanes capital, Punta Arenas had the lowest rate in the region and possibly in the whole of Chile with 2.1%. Puerto Natales and Porvenir registered 5.8% and 4.2%, respectively. At national level Chile's unemployment during 2008 averaged 7.8% which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the previous year. Construction, mining and quarries were the sectors hardest hit (minus 2% and minus 4.4% respectively) which was partly compensated by seasonal Agriculture, hunting and fishing, up 5.7%. Unemployment in the largest urban concentration of Chile, metropolitan Santiago reached 7.8% in Oct/Dec. 2008, up 0.5 percentage points over the previous quarter and 0.2 percentage points over a year ago. In related news the Chilean Catholic Church called on the business leaders to make "a great effort" and avoid firing more heads of family since this could lead "to a social fracture in the country". The Workers Vicar Rodrigo Tupper said that businessmen should not fall to the temptation of "greed and making money at all costs". He added that according to the social doctrine of the Church "firing or leaving workers redundant is a social calamity". Tupper underlined that although the world is facing a global crisis, "the impact does not anticipate a recession in Chile, since the government has estimated growth in 3%". Therefore with the same creativity to produce goods and wealth, "we appeal to business leaders to look for all possible means to help the jobless rate from increasing in Chile".