In March, registered unemployed persons stood at 7,350, up by 384 over the corresponding month last year.

Administrative records held at the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) indicated an increase of 588 persons, or 9.4%, registering for work under Part 1 of the unemployment register, to 6,853. On the other hand, persons registering under Part 2 dropped by 204, or 29.1%, to 497. Overall, the number of persons on the register went up by 384, or 5.5%.

In the twelve months to March, unemployment on the mainland increased by 372, or 6.0%, while unemployment in Gozo edged up by 12, or 1.6%.

When compared to last year, the number of registered unemployed aged 45 and over increased by 6.7%: up by 7.9% in Malta and down by 5.3% in Gozo.

On the other hand, persons aged under 20 registering as unemployed decreased by 47, or 9.2%. Part 1 registrants aged 45 and over accounted for 42.0% of the total, in contrast to the 29% share of Part 2 registrants.

In comparison with the corresponding month a year ago, registrants whose duration of unemployment exceeded one year went up by 437, or 18.7%. In contrast, unemployed persons who have been on the register for less than 21 weeks decreased by 158, or 5.2%.

In the twelve-month period to March, there were different unemployment trends between Part 1 and Part 2 registrants. In this regard, Part 1 registrants who were on the register for less than 21 weeks increased by 33, or 1.4%, while Part 2 registrants decreased by 191, or 30.1%.

Registered unemployment rate: November 2012

In November 2012, the registered unemployment rate stood at 4.4% of the labour supply (excluding part-timers): 5.2% for men and 3.0% for women. The unemployment rate for persons registering under Part 1 stood at 4.9% among thoseaged 45 and over, and 5.4% for those under 25.

The unemployment rate of persons who had been registering for work for at least one yearunder Part 1 of the unemployment register stood at 1.6%: 2.1% for men and 0.8% for women g