Unemployment hits 4 percent, highest since 2013OUTLOOK: The unemployment rate could rise even higher this summer as relief programs are set to expire this month and graduates are starting to look for workBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe nation’s unemployment rate last month rose for the fourth consecutive month to 4.07 percent — the highest since November 2013 — as the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on hiring activity, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported yesterday. Photo: Clare Cheng, Taipei TimesThe unemployment rate last month increased 0.04 percentage points compared with an addition of 0.31 percentage points in April. The latest unemployment survey, conducted between May 10 and May 16, has yet to reflect a traditional surge in first-time job seekers during the graduation season. By education level, university graduates had the highest unemployment rate at 5.63 percent, followed by high-school graduates at 3.81 percent and people with graduate degrees at 3.29 percent, the DGBAS said. People aged 20 to 24 had the highest unemployment rate at 11.66 percent, followed by the 15-19 age group at 7.72 percent, the 25-29 age group at 6.6 percent and the 30-34 age group at 3.97 percent, it said.

Source: Taipei Times June 22, 2020 15:56 UTC