Updated | Unemployment down significantly in November

Unemployment decreased heavily in November, with 4,760 people registering for work compared to 6,501 in the corresponding month last year.

Data provided by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) for November indicate a decrease of 1,667 persons registering under Part I and a decline of 74 among those registering under Part II of the unemployment register, when compared to November 2014. Overall, decreases in registered unemployment were recorded among all age groups.

When compared to November last year, registrants for work decreased irrespective of how long they had been registering. The largest decrease was recorded among persons who had been registering for over one year.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work also decreased by 68 to 381. Males accounted for 80.3% of total registrants with a disability.

The largest share of males on the unemployment register sought occupations as crafts and related trade workers (17.8%), whereas their female counterparts mostly sought occupations as clerical support workers (29.3%).

The registered unemployment rate in June 2015 stood at 3% of the labour supply (excluding part-time employment), and varied from 3.5% among men to 2.1% among women.

Lowest unemployment rate in November since 1980

The government hailed the latest figures as proof that Malta has a strong economy, and pointed out that the unemployment rate hasn’t been this low for the month of November since 1980.

“Unemployment decreased by 1,741 people when compared to last year, which means that nine people on the dole found a job every two days in the last 12 months,” the government said in a statement. “Under the previous Nationalist administration, unemployment increased at a rate of four people every two days.”