Venezuela's unemployment 19.1 pct in April - govt

Reuters, 06.09.03, 12:46 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela, June 9 (Reuters) - Venezuela's unemployment rate rose to 19.1 percent in April compared with 15.9 percent a year earlier, the government said on Monday.

April's unemployment remained almost steady with 19.8 percent registered in March this year, a spokeswoman for the National Statistics Institute said. Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, is mired in its worst recession in recent history after a two-month strike battered its economy.