Thai jobless rate steady at 1.1% in Q2 as economy recovers

GEE

01/08/2023 12:00

BANGKOK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Thailand's jobless rate was
at 1.1% in the second quarter, little changed from 1.05% in the
previous quarter, with employment rising as the economy
recovered, a government official said on Tuesday.
    Southeast Asia's second-largest economy grew faster than
expected in the first quarter, driven by strength in tourism, a
key source of jobs that was decimated by the coronavirus
pandemic.
    Employment rose 1.7% in April-June from a year earlier, with
39.7 million employed, government spokesperson Trisuree
Trisoranakul said in a statement.
    The pace, however, slowed from a 2.4% on-year rise in the
first quarter, when the jobless rate was the lowest since early
2020, before the economy felt the full impact of the pandemic.  
 
    "Overall labour situation indicators have improved with no
worrying signs," Trisuree said.
    Thailand's definition of unemployment is narrow, however,
and only counts as jobless those who do not work a single hour
in a surveyed week. Analysts say the figures do not catch
Thailand's significant unofficial economy.

 (Reporting by Satawasin Staporncharnchai; editing by Robert
Birsel)
 ((orathai.sriring@tr.com; +662 0802309;))