Kast links public discouragement to high unemployment

President José Antonio Kast says Chile’s unemployment problem is weighing on the public mood, even as he argues that the country is entering a period of economic recovery and hope.

In an interview with Radio ADN, Kast acknowledged that his government has not yet solved what he called “the issue of unemployment.” He linked the problem to the “discouragement” he perceives among citizens and said the unemployment rate stands at 9.5%, according to the National Statistics Institute.

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There is still an issue that we have not been able to solve, which is unemployment.

Kast said the rate has been carried over from previous years. He also addressed July’s economic performance, which recorded a disappointing contraction of 1.5%. He attributed part of the situation to low investment and public spending in earlier years.

Despite those difficulties, the president said he “always sees the glass as half full.” He pointed to progress in investment, institutional recovery and confidence, as well as the conversion of his flagship reform into law. Kast also defended measures adopted during his first six months in office, including the Modo Empleo program, saying they are beginning to generate results.

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I always see the glass as half full.