The number of people who are registered with Jobsplus as being unemployed has decreased slightly in January when compared to the previous month, statistics published by the National Statistics Office state.

In January, the number of persons registering for work stood at 2,675.  This is a slight decrease from the 2,765 registered for work in December 2020 – but still 984 more than when compared to January 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Registered unemployment levels increased across all age groups when compared to last year, the NSO said.

Those registering for work for less than 21 weeks and those registering between 21 and 52 weeks, increased when compared to January 2020 levels.

The largest increase was recorded among persons who had been registering between 21 and 52 weeks. On the other hand, those who had been registering for work for more than one year, decreased when compared to the same month in 2020.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work increased by 20 when compared to the previous year, reaching 251.

Males accounted for 72.5 per cent of total registrants with a disability.

The largest share of males and females on the unemployment register sought occupations as clerical support workers, with 21.3 per cent and 39.5 per cent respectively.