Unemployment rate in Philippines down to 6.5 pct in November

MANILA, Jan 7 (XINHUA/APP):Around 3.16 million Filipinos were out of work in November, down from the 3.5 million recorded in October, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey released on Friday.

“The country’s unemployment rate of 6.5 percent in November was the lowest since January 2021,” PSA head Dennis Mapa said in an online briefing.

However, the Philippines reimposed stricter quarantine rules this week amid the steep rise in COVID-19 cases. Metro Manila and several areas will remain under alert level 3 on a scale of 5 until Jan. 15.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said during a meeting Thursday night that an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 workers will be temporarily terminated or face reduced working hours.

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