Unemployment falls by 1,200 people in April

In April, the number of persons registering for work stood at 2,577 compared to 3,751 a year prior

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers
The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers

A total decrease of 1,174 persons registering under the unemployment register was observed in April when compared to the same month in 2016, Jobsplus data has indicated.

The decrease included 1,108 persons registering under Part I of the register and 66 of those registering under Part II.

All age groups registered decreases, except those of under 20 which saw an increase of 29 registrants. When compared to April 2016, registrants for work also decreased irrespective of how long they had been registering. The largest decrease was recorded among persons who had been registering for less than 21 weeks.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work also decreased by 67 to 291. Males accounted for 77.3% of total registrants with a disability.

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers with 18.8% and 38.7% respectively.

The registered unemployment rate in November 2016 stood at 1.6% of the labour supply, (excluding part-time employment) and varied from 1.9% among men to 1.2% among women.