Year-on-year unemployment down 43.5% in April

The number of persons registering for work in Malta stood at 2,248 in April, a steep drop of 1,731 when compared to the corresponding month in 2020.

This translates into a difference of 43.5 per cent, with the level of unemployment seen in April 2020, soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing steadily by almost a half.

In a statement released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), based on data provided by state employment agency JobsPlus, the decrease in registered unemployment levels was found to be consistent across all age groups.

Data provided by Jobsplus for April 2021 indicate a year-on-year decrease of 1,689 persons registering under Part I, and an additional drop of 42 persons registering under Part II of the unemployment register.

Those registering as looking for work under Part I are either new job seekers who have left school, re-entrants into the labour market, or individuals who have been made redundant by their former employers.

Meanwhile, those registering under Part II 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.

Those who had been registering for work for less than 21 weeks decreased considerably when compared to the same month in 2020.

On the other hand, those persons registering for work between 21 and 52 weeks recorded the largest increase, followed by those registering for more than one year.

The number of persons with a disability who were registering for work increased by 6 when compared to the previous year, reaching 259 persons. Males accounted for 73.0 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 21.8 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.