The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Laos’ unemployment rate to soar, with more than 400,000 people either losing their jobs or not finding new ones, according to the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU).
People wear masks amid COVID-19 epidemic in Vientiane. (Photo: VNA)
Vientiane (VNA) – The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Laos’ unemployment rate to soar, with more than 400,000 people either losing their jobs or not finding new ones, according to the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU).
Speaking at a press conference on an employment promotion event, Chanphen Maniseng from the LFTU said the pandemic-induced closure of factories and workshops has reduced the scale of production, negatively affected the labour force, and increased the unemployment rate in the Southeast Asian country.
Despite the Lao Government's efforts to ease COVID-19 restrictions, many business activities in the country are yet to be fully recovered, pushing the nation’s unemployment rate to increase from 9.24 percent to 21.8 percent in 2021. The pandemic has caused 439,082 Lao workers at home and abroad to lose their jobs or stop working.
The government aims to reduce the unemployment rate to 19.4 percent in 2022 via supporting business recovery, skill training, and new job arrangement./.
The Lao National Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has urged people to take their children and other relatives to health facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, so as to reduce serious illness and deaths caused by the disease.
Laos will step up the campaign to encourage Lao people to travel within the country to revive the tourism industry and its economy in the context that the government has eased restrictive measures to gradually normalise the situation.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
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Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
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Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
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Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
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The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
The World Bank will provide a 2.1 billion USD financing package for Indonesia, focusing oncreating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and enhancing access to clean energy across the country.
People wear masks amid COVID-19 epidemic in Vientiane. (Photo: VNA) 
