Muted recovery seen in increased manufacturing output, reopening of schools, slight reduction in unemployment rates and improved consumer spending. And, a good chunk of the imports included petroleum fuels that were used to power the movement of people, which, in turn, translated into increased economic activities. Popular opinion has been one of singling out the back-to-back negative economic growth and calling it a recession - a notion that has been disputed by several economists. Most forecasters expect the economy to grow by over six per cent this year, helped by agriculture and education. Thus, when numbers came out for economic and employment performance for the period between April and June, over 1.7 million people had lost their jobs.

Source: Standard Digital February 23, 2021 09:22 UTC