At 6,623 persons, registered unemployment in November 2007 decreased by 710 persons when compared to the same month last year, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported yesterday, basing the statistics on data provided by the Employment and Training Corporation.

In Malta, the registered unemployed amounted to 5,916 persons, whereas in Gozo the registered unemployed amounted to 707. In the twelve months to November 2007, both islands experienced a decline in unemployment (-693 in Malta and -17 in Gozo).

In the 12 months to November 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 12 months to November 2007, the duration of unemployment diminished across all the periods.

This release also provides information on the occupations being sought by the unemployed. Among 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 November 2007 are not available since the data on the labour supply for this month are not yet available

In July 2007, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.3 % of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 4.7, while the unemployment rate for women stood at 3.3 %.

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

The unemployment rate among older workers (45 years of age and over) was 3.8 % while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25 years of age) stood at 5.7 %.