But unemployment in far southern Chile much less an issue

Unemployment in Chile the last quarter of 2009 was 8.6 percent, down from 9.1 percent in the previous quarter, and up 1.1 percentage points from a year ago, the National Statistics Office (INE) reported last week.

INE said that during 2009 employment in Chile was down 0.7 percentage points averaging 9.7 percent, compared to 7.8 percent in 2008.

 

Unemployment, however, was much less an issue in far southern Chile – the Magallanes Region (Region XII).  In this part of Chile, the INE calculated unemployment at only 5.3 percent during the last quarter of last year. This represents an improvement over the previous quarter, 6.6 percent, but is double over the same period a year ago when it stood at 2.8 percent.

The Region XII city of Punta Arenas remains one of Chile’s cities with lowest number of jobless. INE says the 5.3 percent unemployment rate means 3.850 people are out of a job, while a year ago the number was 1.830 - a twelve-year record low. Strong last quarter activity in retail, financial services, agriculture, fisheries and construction helped create news jobs.

INE Magallenes head Jose Parada said that during 2007 and 2008 there was a strong demand for labor in the region, mainly in manufacturing and construction, which attracted manpower from other regions of the country.

This is particularly evident, said Pereda when “we consider that in the last twelve months the labor force in Magallanes increased 13 percent (8.550 people), while the number of people occupied in the period increased 10.4 percent(6.350).”

Punta Arenas, the capital and main city of the sparsely inhabited region, had unemployment of 5.5% in the last quarter of 2009, which was 1.7 percentage points less than the previous quarter, but was up 3.4 percentage points over the same period a year ago (the last quarter of 2008).

The region’s two other main urban areas - Natales and Porvenir - are going through a bad moment. In Natales, fourth quarter unemployment soared from 5.8% to 10% mainly because of a poor showing of tourism, the region’s the main industry.

In Porvenir the rate went from 4.2% in the last quarter of 2008 to 9% in the same period of 2009. This was a direct consequence of the sanitary problems faced by the salmon industry which forced the closure of farms.

SOURCE: MERCOPRESS