People wait to receive unemployment allowances in Thanh Hoa Province
According to a new report from the General Statistics Office (GSO), the working labour force in the economy in the third quarter of 2021 decreased sharply compared to the previous quarter and compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, unemployment and underemployment among working-age increased to the highest level since the first quarter of 2020.
“More than 1.7 million people of working age were unemployed in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 532,200 compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 449,600 compared to the same period last year,” he said.
The underemployment rate at working age in the nine months was 3.04 percent, of which the urban and rural area was 3.0 percent and 3.07 percent, respectively.
“This is different from the common trend observed in our country with underemployment in rural areas often more severe than in urban areas,” Nam said.
Nam said that the complicated developments of the 4th wave of Covid-19 and the prolonged social distancing period in many localities had pushed the unemployment rate in the third quarter far beyond the usual 2-per cent figure.
The unemployment rate of people of working age was 5.54 per cent, up 2.18 percentage points from the previous quarter and 1.6 percentage points over the same period last year.
As of September 21, 2021, the government had provided financial support of nearly VND13.8 trillion (USD 600 million) to nearly 17.6 million low income people, exported 136,349.6 tonnes of rice from the national reserve to more than 2.4 million households with nearly 9.1 million people facing difficulties due to the epidemic in 30 provinces and cities.
