The number of full-time gainfully occupied people had decreased by 504 over the preceding month, the NSO said.

There were 136,513 gainfully employed people in the month under review. There was therefore a decrease of 1,175 persons when compared to the same month the previous year.

The NSO said that the administrative records of the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) indicated a decrease of 476 people in the labour supply when compared to October 2003.

In a year ending November, the labour supply dropped by 764 persons. In November 2003, the labour supply amounted to 144,790.

In the same month, employment in the private direct production sector dropped by 93 over the preceding month and by 1,344 persons over the same month the preceding year.

Manufacturing concerns decreased their employment levels by 70 persons in November when compared to October. In manufacturing, over a year ending November there was a reduction of 1,412 jobs.

The private market services sector increased by 56 persons in November 2003 in comparison to the preceding month. Compared to November 2002, the private market services sector increased its employment levels by 1,280 persons. Part of this increase in the statistics of the private market services sector was due to the privatisation of a major state-owned company whose employees are now being accounted within the private sector.

In November 2003, the public sector contracted by 500 persons when compared to the preceding month. In comparison with the same month last year, the public sector contracted by 1,018 persons. Much of the drop in the public sector is being registered in the companies with public investment.