Chile's finance minister expects job losses, fuel hike in wake of protests
NOVEMBER 14, 2019 / 11:54 AM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
Dave Sherwood, Fabian Cambero
4 MIN READ
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile’s finance minister predicted on Thursday that as many as 300,000 jobs could be lost because of the impact of four weeks of rioting on one of Latin America’s strongest economies.
Newly appointed Finance Minister Ignacio Briones told a legislative committee it was “highly likely” unemployment would jump 3% in the coming months, Diario Financiero reported.
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Demonstrators gathered in public squares on Thursday for another round of protests, which have paralysed daily life. At least 24 people have died and thousands injured in clashes between protesters and police.
On Thursday, the health ministry announced an alert across six of Chile’s 16 regions to release extra funding amid a surge of 10,000 trauma cases and an unspecified increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues.
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It also raised concerns about the health implications of a Santiago-wide strike announced by trash collectors, which has seen waste mount on the streets in recent days.
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Thursday’s protests were pegged to the anniversary of a young indigenous man who was shot dead by police in circumstances that are still under investigation.
More:
https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-chile-protests/chiles-finance-minister-expects-job-losses-fuel-hike-in-wake-of-protests-idINKBN1XO2IX?rpc=401&
