MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unemployment in Magallanes Region climbs to the highest in five years

With 5.7% unemployment Magallanes region is 1.1 percentage points below the Chilean national average of 6.8%

Unemployment in Magallanes, extreme south of Chile climbed strongly during the March/May quarter, from 3.6% to 5.7%, marking the third consecutive mobile quarter increase. The 5.7% is the highest unemployment mark in five years, in 2015, 4%; 2014, 2.8%; 2013, 2.7%; 2012, 3% and in 2011, 4%.

 According to Chile Stats Office, INE, it also breaks through the 4% average of the last twelve months The surge is attributed to seasonal causes, mainly tourism, cattle farming and public and private administration services.

Another factor is the 1.4% increase in the work force, which is the result of a 0.9% expansion in the population reaching working age. In other words there are more people ready to begin working, but there is also a descent in the number or people looking for jobs for the first time.

By gender men unemployment stands at 5.3%, up 1.3 percentage points from the previous quarter, while for women it was 6.4%, up 2.2 percentage points.

With 5.7% unemployment Magallanes region is 1.1 percentage points below the Chilean national average of 6.8%, and is ranked fourth, behind, Los Lagos (3.3%); Aysén, (3.5%); Los Lagos (4.5%).

Chile's national unemployment rate of 6.8% overall was up 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous mobile quarter and 0.2 percentage points over the same quarter a year ago.

In the mobile March/May, Chile's industrial production index was 2.2 percentage points down compared to the same period a year ago, mainly because of a severe contraction of the mining sector. Despite the fact that manufacturing and public utilities has a positive performance.

In effect the contraction of Chilean mining activity compared to a year ago reached 5.7 percentage points.