* Q1 unemployment rate at 1.96%, highest 2009
* Job losses may rise again due to latest outbreak
* Outbreak to affect more than 7 million tourism jobs
* Tourism may return to normal in 2026 – tourism body (Adds tourism outlook, update virus cases)
BANGKOK, May 24 (Reuters) – Thailand’s unemployment rate hit a 12-year high in the first quarter of 2021 due to the renewed impact of coronavirus outbreaks, as the country reimposed measures to contain a third wave of infections, the state planning agency said on Monday.
The Southeast Asian country’s latest, more severe outbreak has accounted for about 80% of its total COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The unemployment rate was 1.96% in the January-March quarter, representing 758,000 workers without jobs, up from 1.86% in the previous quarter, state agency data showed.
That was the highest since the 2.08%…
