The Philippines' unemployment rate has surged to a record 17.7 per cent, with millions of people losing their jobs due to a pandemic-induced lockdown which has battered the economy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Philippines, which before the pandemic had been one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, is facing its biggest contraction in more than three decades after coronavirus had shuttered businesses and crushed domestic demand.
April's unemployment rate, which is 7.3 million people without jobs, compares with 5.3 per cent in January and 5.1 per cent in April last year.
"We should not lose sight of the fact that this loss in employment is really temporary," economic planning undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said in an online news conference.
The health ministry has confirmed three new coronavirus deaths and 244 more infections, the lowest single-day increase in cases in two weeks.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total deaths had reached 987 while confirmed cases had risen to 20,626. There are 4330 patients who have recovered.
The lockdown in the capital, Manila, which was one of the world's longest and strictest, was relaxed on June 1 to allow much-needed business activity to resume and soften the economic blow of coronavirus, which has infected more than 20,000 in the country.
Australian Associated Press
