June 4 (SeeNews) - There were 121,187 unemployed people in North Macedonia at the end of May, up from 114,762 at the end of April, as the coronavirus crisis affected the labour market, data by the country's employment agency showed.
This compares to 100,060 unemployed people at the end of May 2019.
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).
The government has been implementing a package of economic measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak with a focus on support for workers. The programme includes subsidising 50% of the social contribution payments for employees and paying minimum salaries for April and May to workers in companies affected by the epidemic, as well as people working in sports and arts.
North Macedonia started easing restrictions on movement in late May. However, coronavirus infections have started to increase again in the past week, prompting the government to reintroduce an extended weekend curfew in a number of cities, including the capital Skopje. The curfew will start on Thursday at 9 pm and end on Monday at 5 am.
The country confirmed 120 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, increasing the total count to 2,611. So far, 147 people have died from the infection, health ministry data shows.