BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's employment rose 1.7% in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier, after a 1.3% year-on-year increase in the previous quarter, the state planning agency said on Monday, helped by the tourism sector.

The jobless rate dropped to 0.81% in the October-December period versus 0.99% in the prior three months, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said in a statement.

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon; Editing by Kim Coghill)