The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has reported that Thailand’s unemployment rate hit a 12-year high in the first quarter of 2021, due to the impact of the latest COVID-19 outbreaks.
NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan said the unemployment rate was 1.96% in the January-March quarter, or 758,000 people without jobs, up from 1.86% in the previous quarter. The rate was the highest since 2.08% recorded in the first quarter of 2009 during the global financial crisis.
He said the unemployment rate has increased dramatically and is expected to rise again, reflecting the ongoing impact of COVID-19. The prolonged COVID-19 outbreak may prevent the economy from growing as targeted, as economic activity has slowed again.
Mr. Danucha said the outbreak will delay a recovery in tourism, affecting more than 7 million of the sector’s workers. However, the number of employed workers reached 37.6 million in the first quarter, up 0.4% from a year ago, due to higher employment in the agricultural sector, which has absorbed some of the workers laid off in other sectors since 2020. (NNT)
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