December decrease in people registering for work compared to 2013

Data provided by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) for December indicate a decrease of 1,114 persons in the unemployment register, when compared to the corresponding month in 2013. Decreases in registered unemployment were recorded among all age groups.

When compared to December 2013, decreases were recorded in all categories by duration of registration, the most significant being among persons who had been registering for employment for 21 to 52 weeks.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work also decreased by 84, to 442. Males accounted for 83.7 per cent of total registrants with a disability.

In December 2014 the largest share of men on the unemployment register sought occupations as crafts and related trade workers (17.6 per cent), whereas most registered unemployed women, 24.9 per cent, sought occupations as clerks and support workers.

The registered unemployed rate in August 2014 stood at 3.9 per cent of the labour supply, (excluding part-time employment) and varied from 4.6 per cent among men to 2.7 per cent among women.

 Greatest drop in unemployment since 2000

According to the government the year 2014 marked a year in which the economy experienced impressive growth as a result of strong investment and improvement of sales in the private sector. The latter was boosted by a strengthening of families’ purchasing power after a strong drop in inflation. These achievements have led to double the rate of job creation compared to recent years.

A report published by the NSO confirms that the number of people who registered unemployment in December 2014 had fallen to 6,287, which meant a 1,114 drop in those seeking a job compared to last year.

The government said that during 2014, Malta had the biggest drop in registered unemployment in the last fourteen years. The only time a greater decrease was registered, was between December 1999 and December 2000, with a drop of 1,118.

The last time the country had such a low rate of unemployment towards the end of the year was December 2007. 

The number of registered unemployed at the beginning of this legislature was 7,279.  This legislature has been characterized by three unemployed people finding a job every two days.

This is highly contrasted with the rate of unemployment under the previous administration. In the five years before March 2013, unemployment had risen by 937 people (from 6,342 at the end of February 2008). This means that at the time, two people were registering as unemployed every two days.

The government claimed that the great drop in unemployment in 2014 was most evident in adolescents. There was a drop of 365 or a third of unemployed adolescents, which showed that the work being done to introduce more young people into the work force is actually being fruitful.

Furthermore there were 290 less people over the age of 45 who registered unemployment, which prevents a 9% drop from last year. People over the age of 45 are very typically excluded from the work force. The number of people who have been registered as unemployed for over a year, has dropped by 216 or 7%, whereas unemployment among those suffering from a disability fell by 84 people or 16%.

The government said that the drop in unemployment is one of their most important social and economic aims. The government also showed their commitment to create new opportunities for families in our country to reach their full potential, through the measures announced in the 2015 Budget.