September 24 (SeeNews) - There were 144,759 unemployed people in North Macedonia at the end of August, up from 101,187 at the end of August 2019, data by the country's employment agency showed, reflecting on the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the labour market.
On a monthly comparison basis, the number of unemployed people increased by 2% in August, as there were 141,777 unemployed people in the country at the end of July, the data showed.
North Macedonia confirmed its first coronavirus case in late February. The government closed shops, restaurants, bars and other businesses in March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but started easing restrictions on movement in late May, which led to an increase in daily infections. The country continued to register more than 100 cases of COVID-19 per day during the summer, with few exceptions when the daily number of new confirmed cases was below the 100 mark.
The country registered 183 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, increasing the total count to 17,049. So far, 710 people have died from the infection, health ministry data shows.
North Macedonia's government implemented three packages of measures aimed at reducing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak with incentives such as social assistance schemes and vouchers for the unemployed, low-paid workers and students and wage subsidies for firms affected by the crisis.