Unemployment continued to rise in May

Unemployment continued to rise in May with figures out today showing that 4,409 people were registering for work.

This represents an increase of 430 over the previous month and a whopping increase of 2,740 when compared to May last year.

The National Statistics Office said unemployment increased across all age groups.

The figures are conditioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Containment measures to limit the spread of the virus included the forced closure of shops and service activities that resulted in some businesses laying off workers.

The data made available by Jobsplus showed that the largest increase was recorded among persons who had been registering for less than 21 weeks. Those who had been registering for work for more than one year, decreased when compared to the same month last year.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work increased by 47 when compared to the previous year, reaching 263.

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers, with 20.4% and 33.1% respectively.