GozoNews.Com

In December 2007, the number of registered unemployed stood at 6,172. Compared to the corresponding month a year ago, the overall number of unemployed fell by 989 persons.

In Malta, the registered unemployed amounted to 5,466 persons, whereas in Gozo the registered unemployed amounted to 706 as illustrated. In the twelve months to December 2007, both islands experienced a decline in unemployment (-971 in Malta and -18 in Gozo).

In the twelve months to December 2007, all the age groups showed a decline in the number of registered unemployed with the age groups of those under 20 years of age and those aged between 20 and 24 reporting the biggest drop. In the twelve months to December 2007, the duration of unemployment diminished across all the periods.

Regarding the occupations being sought by the unemployed: Amongst men, occupations related to elementary duties and plant and machine operations were the most common, whereas women tended to seek jobs which were clerical or service-oriented.

The unemployment rates for December 2007 are not available since the data on the labour supply for this month is not yet available.

Registered Unemployment Rate: August 2007

In August 2007, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.4 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 4.8, whilst the unemployment rate for women stood at 3.6 per cent.

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

The unemployment rate among older workers (45 years of age and over) was 3.9 per cent while the unemployment rate among youngp eople (under 25 years of age) stood at 5.9 per cent.