BANGKOK, 26 April 2011 – The number of unemployed people in February 2011 stood at 268,000 or 0.7% of the total workforce and shrinking by 115,000 people from last year, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).
The figure dwindled by 106,000 people from 374,000 in January. Most of the unemployed or 155,000 people, used to have jobs while the rest of 113,000 had never worked before. The number of jobless people with work experience rose from last year’s figure of 132,000 people.
Out of the 155,000 unemployed people this year, 60,000 came from the manufacturing sector while 59,000 from the service and trade sector and 36,000 from the agricultural sector.
Graduates formed the highest unemployment rate at 98,000 people or 1.5% of the total number of the unemployed, followed by those finishing primary education at 62,000 people or 0.7% and secondary education at 43,000 people.
Bangkok had the highest unemployment rate of 1.0%, followed by the central and northeastern regions, 0.7%, and the North and South, 0.6%.
The number of employed workforce last month was at 37.55 million people. The workforce inside the agricultural sector rose by 520,000 year-on-year to stand at 12.93 million people while the number of people working outside the sector was at 24.62 million people, down 570,000 people year-on-year.
