MaltaMedia.com

At 7,210 persons, registered unemployed in April 2009 increased by 1,124 persons when compared to the same month last year, new data published by the National Statistics Office revealed.

In Malta, the registered unemployed amounted to 6,427 persons, whereas in Gozo these amounted to 783. In the twelve months to April 2009, both Malta and Gozo experienced an increase in nemployment (1,040 in Malta and 84 in Gozo).

The number of males registering for work between April 2008 and April 2009 increased by 847, whilst the number of women increased by 277. All age groups experienced an increase in the number of unemployed. In addition, persons who have been registering for work for under 20 weeks increased by 840, between April 2008 and April 2009.

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

The unemployment rates for April 2009 do not feature in this release since the administrative data on the labour supply for this month are not yet available, the NSO said.

In November 2008, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 4.9 per cent, while the unemployment rate for women stood at 3.0 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 4.1 per cent while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25) stood at 5.1 per cent.