January’s unemployment figures went down by 1.2%

Records provided by the Employment and Training Corporation show that the number of persons registering as unemployed during January in Malta and Gozo stood at 5,999 and 715 persons respectively.

There was a decrease of 83 persons in registered unemployment when compared to the corresponding month last year. The number of persons registering under Part 1 and Part 2 of the unemployment register decreased by 44 (0.7 per cent) and 39 (5.1 per cent) persons respectively. There were 5,213 men and 1,501 women registering for work in January. Unemployment among men went down by 153, or 2.9 per cent, while female unemployment edged up by 70, or 4.9 per cent. Unemployment declined across all age groups, with the exception of persons under 20 and those aged 45 and over.

When compared to January 2011, the number of persons registering for work for more than one year decreased by 110 to 2,235 (4.7 per cent). Persons with a disability registering under Part 1 of the unemployment register numbered 423.

The largest share of unemployed men sought occupations in services, sales and crafts, whereas women mostly sought clerical jobs.

The registered unemployment rate for September 2011 stood at 4.2 per cent of the labour supply (excluding part-timers): 4.9 per cent for men and 2.7 per cent for women. This rate stood at 4.4 per cent among persons aged 45 and over, and 5.1 per cent for persons under 25.

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.