Unemployment in the last six years has consistently exceeded the 7,000 mark, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

A descriptive outline of unemployment records kept by the Employment and Training Corporation for 1997-2002 showed that unemployment reached its highest level in 1999 when it rose to 8,306. By December, 2002, the figure of registered unemployed went down by nearly 800 people to 7,516.

The NSO said unemployment was more prevalent among young people and especially young men.

Accordingly, the unemployment rate of young men in 2001 reached 9.1 per cent, while the unemployment rate of young women stood at 4.4 per cent.

Collectively, the unemployment rate of young people in 2001 stood at seven per cent.

The NSO also noted an improvement in the rate of long-term unemployment in the last few years. While the rate reached a peak of 2.7 per cent in 1999, the long-term unemployment rate went down to two per cent in 2001.

ETC administrative records indicated that the most sought after occupations by the registered unemployed were elementary and clerical occupations.