At 7,101 persons, registered unemployment in February 2009 increased by 759 persons when compared to February of last year.

Registered Unemployed: February 2009 – In Malta, the registered unemployed totalled 6,316 persons, whereas in Gozo these amounted to 785. In the twelve months to February 2009, both Malta and Gozo experienced an increase in unemployment (716 in Malta and 43 in Gozo).

With regard to persons registering for work in the twelve months to February 2009, the number of men increased by 641, whilst the number of women increased by 118. The number of persons registering for work increased across all the age groups.

Between February 2008 and February 2009, persons who have been registering for work for under 20 weeks increased by 517.

This release also provides information on the occupations being sought by unemployed persons. Among men, occupations related to elementary duties and services were the most common, whereas women tended to seek jobs which were clerical or service-oriented.

The unemployment rates for February 2009 are not featured since the administrative data on the labour supply for this month are not yet available.

Registered Unemployment Rate: October 2008 – In October 2008, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.2 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 4.8 per cent, while the unemployment rate for women stood at 2.8 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to people who have been registering for work for more than twelve months, stood at 1.4 per cent.

The unemployment rate among older workers (45 and over) was 4.0 per cent while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25) stood at 4.6 per cent

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