Uruguay: Unemployment and poverty are population’s main concerns – survey

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Unemployment and poverty are the main concerns for 6 out of 10 Uruguayans, according to a survey conducted by Nómade consulting firm and published September 22 in the media and social networks.

Unemployment was the main concern for 36% of respondents, while 21% cited poverty, representing over half of answers.

These figures are consistent with the current 10.4% unemployment rate, representing 184,000 people out of an economically active population of some 700,000, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

On the other hand, research by the Universidad de la República showed that 100,000 more Uruguayans fell into poverty during last year, while the number of soup kitchens to mitigate economic hardship to ensure a daily meal increased.

Regarding the most worrying issues at a personal level, 27% said “losing quality of life,” together with 12% who answered “not being able to maintain their former activities” and 11% who said they feared “not having enough to feed their children or the people with whom they live.”

As for the future, 36% said they expected things to be in the same situation a year from now, 22% said it would be worse and 19% the same, while 21% had no perspective on their personal situation in the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, the Wage Council has made no progress in recovering the wages lost due to the cuts in the agreements established by the government since last year. A national strike on September 15 mobilized not only unions, but popular sectors in general to present proposals for labor, salary, social security and in defense of state companies.

The Employees Association (AEBU) stated that the profits of the wealthiest social sector in Uruguay amounted to US$2.8 billion in only 7 months of 2021.