Unemployment rate in August declined by 124

According to administrative records held at the Employment and Training Corporation, the number of persons registering for work in August amounted to 6,465, of which 5,787 were registering in Malta and 678 in Gozo.

The National Statistics Office reports that when compared to last year, registered unemployment decreased by 142 in Malta and went up by 18 persons in Gozo.

The number of men on the unemployment register amounted to 5,051, while women registering for work numbered 1,414. Over the corresponding month in 2010, the incidence of unemployment decreased by 150 for men, but increased by 26 for women. 

In comparison to the previous year, unemployment declined across all the age groups with the largest absolute drop being recorded among the 25-29 age bracket.

When compared to the previous year, the number of persons registering for work for less than 20 weeks increased by 139, while the number of persons who had been registering for work for more than one year declined by 217.

The number of persons with disability registering under Part 1 of the unemployment register amounted to 396. In comparison to a year ago, this segment of unemployed went down by 16.

Most unemployed men were seeking occupations related to services, sales and crafts, whereas women sought clerical and service-oriented occupations.

In April 2011, the registered unemployment rate (excluding part-timers) stood at 4.3% of the labour supply. This rate stood at 5.1% and 2.6% for men and women respectively.  The registered unemployment rate among workers aged 45 and over was 4.5%, while that in respect of those aged less than 25 stood at 4.9%.

The unemployment rate of persons who had been registering for work for at least one year under Part 1 of the unemployment register stood at 1.5%: 1.9% for men and 0.7% for women.