Unemployment down 6.8% in May, but jobless under 25 on the increase
1,669 persons were registered as unemployed in May 2019, a drop from the 1,791 figure for the equivalent period in 2018
by Massimo Costa
The number of persons registering for work in May stood at 1,669, a drop of 6.8% when compared to the corresponding month in 2018.
This decrease, however, was not reflected in the number of unemployed persons aged under 25, which saw an increase.
National Statistics Office figures published on Wednesday indicate that while there were 75 persons under 20 and 88 aged between 20 to 24 who were registering for work in May 2018, the figures for last month stand at 100 and 99 persons respectively.
Unemployment was down for all other age groups.
The figures, based on data provided by Jobsplus, show a decline of 138 persons registering under Part I of the unemployment register over the one year period.
However, compared to the same month last year, an increase of 16 people registered as unemployed under Part II of the register was noted in May.
Part I of the unemployment register cover new job seekers who have left formal education, re-entrants into the labour market and individuals who have been made redundant by their former employers.
Those registering under Part II of the register are either workers who have been dismissed from work due to disciplinary action, left work out of their own free will, refused work or training opportunities or were struck off the register after an inspection by law enforcement personnel.
When compared to May 2018, an increase of 29 persons was recorded amongst registrants whose unemployment was of under 21 weeks’ duration.
On the other hand, decreases were recorded among registrants who had been looking for work for 21 weeks or more.
The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work decreased by 68% compared to the previous year, reaching 216. Men accounted for 68.5% of total registrants with a disability.
Split according to gender, the number of registered unemployed males declined from 1,268 in May 2018 to 1,160 last month, while the number of females was down from 523 to 509 across the same period.
The majority of men and women registered as unemployed sought occupations as clerical support workers, with 19.2% and 40.1% respectively.
For males, the second most popularly sought-after occupation was for craft and related trade jobs, at 14.8%, while for females it was service work and sales work, with 19.1%.
