In April 2008, the number of registered unemployed stood at 6,086. Compared to the corresponding month a year ago, the overall number of unemployed fell by 662 persons.

In Malta, the registered unemployed amounted to 5,387 persons, whereas in Gozo the registered unemployed amounted to 699. In the twelve months to April 2008, Malta experienced a decline in unemployment, whereas Gozo has seen a rise on this count (-687 in Malta and 25 in Gozo).

In the twelve months to April 2008, all the age groups showed a decline in the number of registered unemployed, with the biggest drop being reported in persons aged 20-24.

Between April 2007 and April 2008, the duration of unemployment diminished across all the periods.

Among men, occupations related to elementary duties and plant and machine operations were the most commonly sought, whereas women tended to seek jobs which were clerical or service-oriented.

The unemployment rates for April 2008 are not yet available since the data on the labour supply for this month is not available.

In December 2007, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.1 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 4.5, whilst the unemployment rate for women stood at 3.2 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to people who have been registering for work for more than twelve months, stood at 1.5 per cent.

The unemployment rate among older workers (45 years of age and over) was 3.7 per cent while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25 years of age) stood at 4.9 per cent.