June 17 (SeeNews) - There were 143,390 jobless people registered with labour offices in North Macedonia at the end of May, up from 121,187 a year earlier due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the government's employment agency said.
On a monthly comparison basis, the number of unemployed people edged down 0.7% in May, according to data published by the employment agency.
North Macedonia registered its first Covid-19 case in late February 2020. Since then, the government has implemented a number of measures to limit the spread of the virus, including temporary closure of shops, restaurants, bars and other public venues.
The government relaxed most of the restrictions recently as the number of new Covid-19 cases is dropping.
On Wednesday, there were 15 new cases in the country, bringing the total count to 155,583 since the outbreak of the disease in the country. So far, 5,472 people have died from the disease.
The country's economy shrank by an estimated 4.5% year-on-year in real terms in 2020, the country's statistical office said earlier this month, citing preliminary data.
In April, the government adopted a new, sixth package of measures worth 17.8 million euro ($21.2 million) to support the companies and citizens most affected by the pandemic.
($ = 0.8383 euro)