Jobless rate dips in Q4 but remains near multi-year high

The unemployment rate fell in the fourth quarter of 2020 from the third quarter, as an easing of Covid-19 curbs led to a revival in economic activity, but a recent rise in infections poses a risk, the state planning agency said on Tuesday.

The unemployment rate was 1.86% in the October-December quarter, representing 730,000 workers without jobs, agency data showed, down from 1.90% in the September quarter. The rate hit an 11-year high of 1.95% in the June quarter.

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