Unemployment up by 3.4% on December 2011 figures - NSO

In the twelve months to December 2012, administrative records of the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) indicated an increase of 224, or 3.4 per cent, in the number of registered unemployed persons. On the other hand, the number of persons out of work went down by 287, or 4.0%, in December when compared to November.

During 2012, unemployment among men went up by 125, or 2.4%. On the other hand, month on-month, male registrants showed a decrease of 184 persons, or 3.4%. In turn, unemployment among women went up by 99, or 6.9%, on a twelve-month basis. Female registrants went down by 103, or 6.3%, in December over the preceding month.

Registrants aged under 20 decreased by 70, or 14.4% in 2012. Between November and December 2012, the under-20 registrants decreased by 79, or 15.9%. At the other end of the age distribution, registrants aged 45 and over increased by 218, or 8.3%, over a one-year period. Over the previous month, the number of such registrants remained practically unchanged in December.

During 2012, the number of persons who were out of work for more than one year went up by 308, or 13.5% while persons who were registering for work for less than 21 weeks decreased by 124, or 4.3%. 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.

 In the twelve months to December 2012, the number of persons with a disability under Part 1 of the unemployment register increased by 58, or 13.5%. On the other hand, in December 2012, the number of registered disabled persons went down by 17, or 3.4%, over the preceding month.