At 6,655, registered unemployment in September decreased by 866 persons when compared to the corresponding month last year, but increased by 66 over the preceding month.

In the twelve month period to September 2010, the number of registered unemployed dropped by 11.5 per cent and reached 6,655, despite an increase of 1.0 per cent when compared to the previous month.

The number of registered unemployed in Malta totalled 5,980, whereas an additional 675 persons were registered in Gozo. Over the one year period ending in September, unemployment decreased by 771 and 95 in Malta and Gozo respectively. This decline was also observed across all age groups.

Moreover, there was a decrease of 634 persons registering for work for less than 20 weeks when compared to the previous year. On the other hand, persons registering for employment for over one year went up by 82.

This release also provides information on the occupations being sought by unemployed persons. While men tend to go for trades and women tend to be oriented towards clerical occupations, both sexes have the same inclination towards service jobs.

In April 2010, the registered unemployment rate stood at 5.0 per cent of the labour supply (excluding part-timers). On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 5.8 per cent, while that for women stood at 3.4 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate (considering only those registering under Part 1), referring to persons who have been registering for work for more than twelve months, stood at 1.8 per cent.

Among older workers (45 and over) the unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent. The rate in respect of younger people (under 25) stood at 6.2 per cent.

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