Unemployment shedding negative trend

The unemployment rate in Malta is marginally lower - by 0.7 per cent - than the average in the 25 EU member states, data released by the EU statistical arm, Eurostat, show.

According to Eurostat, unemployment on the island last July stood at 7.3 per cent - just over 7,000 people - which is 0.2 per cent down on the figure for June.

Eurostat statistics published earlier this year had shown that Malta's unemployment was on the rise and in some months was higher than the EU average. Over the last three months, however, the trend seems to be slowly reversing and in July reached the lowest level in the past 12 months.

According to Eurostat the lowest rates of unemployment in July were registered in the Netherlands (3.9 per cent), Denmark (3.9 per cent in June), Estonia (4.2 per cent), Ireland (4.4 per cent), and Luxembourg (4.8 per cent).

Unemployment rates were highest in Poland (15 per cent), Slovakia (14 per cent), Greece (9.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year), France (8.9 per cent) and Belgium (8.7 per cent).

Among the EU member states, 17 recorded a drop in their unemployment rate over a year, one remained stable and six reported a rise.

In July, the EU25 unemployment rate stood at eight per cent. It was 8.7 per cent in July last year.