Unemployed up by 5.5% over August 2011

Records provided by the Employment and Training Corporation show that in August, the number of persons registering as unemployed in Malta and Gozo stood at 6,139 and 682 respectively.

Accordingly, during the twelve-month period to August, the number of registered unemployed went up by 352 on the mainland and by four in Gozo.

The number of persons registering under Part 1 of the unemployment register increased by 411 (7.1 per cent), while those registering under Part 2 went down by 55 (-8.0 per cent).

When compared to last year, unemployment among men went up by 169, or 3.3 per cent, while female unemployment increased by 187, or 13.2 per cent.

Unemployment decreased among young persons, but increased among the older age groups. In particular, unemployment among persons aged under 20 decreased by 46, and by 21 among persons aged 20-24. On the other hand, unemployment among persons aged 30-44 went up by 122, and by 301 among persons aged 45 and over.

When compared to August 2011, the number of persons who have been out of work for more than one year went up by 188, or 8.2 per cent, while persons who were registering for work for less than 21 weeks went down by 51, or 1.7 per cent.

Persons with a disability under Part 1 of the unemployment register numbered 513, an increase of 117, or 29.5 per cent, over the corresponding month last year.

In line with past trends, the majority of unemployed men were looking for occupations in services, sales and crafts, whereas women mostly sought clerical jobs.

Registered unemployment rate: April 2012

In April 2012, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent of the labour supply (excluding part-timers): 5.1 per cent for men and 2.8 per cent for women.

The unemployment rate for persons registering under Part 1 stood at 4.7 per cent among persons aged 45 and over, and 5.0 per cent for persons under 25 years of age.

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 per cent: 1.9 per cent for men and 0.7 per cent for women.