Growth in Thai jobless rate spurs gov’t plan
Close to half a million people in Thailand were unemployed last month, up 99,000 or 1.3 percent in the same period last year, which is spurring the government to offer skills training for jobless workers. A total of 496,000 people were jobless last month, a jump of 66,000 from February, according to the National Statistical Office. The majority of unemployed were men, it said. Of those, 274,000 previously had jobs, mostly in the service and trade sectors. This means the number of people who were previously gainfully employed but found themselves out of work in March was up 49,000 from the year-earlier period, the office said. It also said 169,000 of the unemployed last month were new university graduates. The situation is also looking bad for them, as the corresponding number last year was 56,000 lower.
