In June, the number of registered unemployed stood at 6,775. Compared to the corresponding month in 2009, unemployment decreased by 498 persons, or 6.8 per cent. Similarly, the number of registered unemployed decreased by 277 persons, or 3.9 per cent, when compared to May.

In Malta, the number of registered unemployed totalled 6,092, whereas in Gozo it amounted to 683. In the twelve months to June 2010, unemployment went down by 448 and 50 in Malta and Gozo respectively.

In comparison with the previous year, there was an overall decrease in unemployment across all age groups, with the exception of persons aged 45 and over. Drops in every age group were seen when comparing unemployment figures with the previous month.

On the other hand, the number of persons registering as unemployed for over one year increased by 246, or 10.5 per cent, when compared to last year. In contrast, persons registering for employment for up to 20 weeks decreased by 465,or 14.6 per cent.

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

Registered Unemployment Rate: January 2010

In January 2010, the registered unemployment rate stood at 5.1 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 5.9 per cent, while that for women stood at 3.6 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to persons who have been registering for work for more than twelve months, stood at 1.7 per cent.

Among older workers (45 and over) the unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent. This rate in respect of young people (under 25) stood at 6.6 per cent.