Registered unemployment in January decreased by 391 to 7,308 persons when compared to the same month last year, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.

The categories of men in the 30-44 and the 45+ age brackets accounted for nearly two-thirds of the registered unemployed.

In the case of women, who accounted for 22.8 per cent of registrants, the majority of unemployed were between 30-44 years of age.

From a regional perspective, the number of registered unemployed in Gozo remained relatively stable when compared to January 2006, while its counterpart in Malta decreased by 387 persons.

Among men, most common occupations sought related to services, trades and elementary duties, whereas women tended to seek jobs which were clerical or service-oriented.

Registered unemployment rate: September 2006

In September 2006, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.9 per cent of the labour supply, implying no change from the same month of 2006. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 5.3, while the unemployment rate for women stood at 3.9 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to people who have been registering for work for more than 12 months, stood at 1.8 per cent.

The unemployment rate among older workers (45 years of age and over) was 3.8 per cent while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25 years of age) stood at 8.1 per cent.