Taipei  - Taiwan's jobless rate rose to a record high of 5.81 per cent in March as it increased for the 15th-consecutive month while sharply reduced global demand battered the local manufacturing industry, a government agency said Wednesday.

About 630,000 people were classified as out of work, 6,000 more than in February, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said in a statement.

Agency officials cited the global economic downturn, which has resulted in the closure or streamlining of local companies, as the major reason for the sharp increase in job losses.

Compared with the same period last year, the number of unemployed increased by 213,000, they said.

Overall, about 1.37 million people have been affected by the job losses of their relatives, some of whom were the sole supporters in the families, the officials said. (dpa)