The red figures of employment

The government of outgoing President Rafael Correa seeks to leave an image of positivism impregnated in the numbers that reflect the employment and the poverty situation in the first quarter of the year.

Yesterday, three key men on his team disclosed details of the figures that worries most people: unemployment. And numbers turned out to be positive. Although there are red hues in the March figures of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC).

At a press conference, the authorities stated that unemployment at the national level shows a decline, standing at 4.4% in March 2017, compared to a 5.7% recorded in March 2016. It means that 94,000 people climbed out of unemployment, in the last year.

The urban unemployment rate stood at 5.6% compared to a 7.4% recorded in March of the previous year. “A variation that is not statistically significant,” stated INEC director David Vera.