Colombia’s unemployment down .6% in 2nd trimester of 2014

(Photo: El Espectador)

Colombia’s unemployment rate in the second trimester of 2012 is slightly lower than the same period in 2013, according to Colombia’s authority on statistics.

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) issued a report on Thursday that covered statistics regarding Colombia’s labor market, demonstrating that unemployment from April – June 2014 was at 9.0%; down .6% from the same time period in 2013, Bogota’s W Radio reported.

Additionally, the report showed that the unemployment rate was 9.2% in June 2014 as well as in 2013, highlighting Colombia’s relative job stability over the year.

Director of DANE Mauricio Perfetti tweeted the news on Thursday afternoon. “The unemployment rate of 9.2% is the same as that of June 2013, the lowest for June in the last 14 years,” the tweet read.

Overall unemployment lowers in most major cities, rural areas; Barranquilla lowest

DANE reported that 487,000 people started working in June, lowering the overall employment rate for the second trimester period.

The study reported that currently over 21 million Colombians are employed while approximately two million are still out of the job market.

In the 13 major metropolitan areas of the country, the unemployment rate also continued to lower, from 10.8% in the second trimester of 2013 to 10% in 2014. Some 313,000 people in this area started working between April and June 2014, according to DANE.

Sixteen out of 24 major cities in Colombia lowered their unemployment rates according to DANE. Colombia’s capital Bogota went from 9.1% in the second trimester of 2013 to 8.7% in the same time period of 2014.

Bogota joins the cities with the current lowest unemployment rate, among them Barranquilla with the lowest rate in the country at 7.7%, and Bucaramanga with 8.1%.

Unemployment also decreased in rural areas over the second trimester of 2014; the rate of unemployment in 2013 was 5.7% compared to 5.1% in 2014.

Cucata reports highest rate of unemployment for April-June

Unemployment rates are still relatively high in cities such as Cucata, Armenia, Pereira, and Quidbo, with rates of 14.9%, 14.8%, 14.4%, and 13.5% respectively, W Radio reported.

Cucata tops the chart as the city with the highest unemployment, though the number is significantly less than last year when Quidbo posted a second trimester unemployment rate of 18.2%. Quidbo’s unemployment rate decreased to 13.5% during the same time period this year.

Despite the overall decrease in the unemployment rate in the second trimester, June’s rate of 9.6% is more than the previous month, which was 8.8%.

MORE: Colombia’s unemployment rate lowest in 14 years: govt

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