Jobless figures static

The number of unemployed in August - 7,172 persons - was unchanged from the same month last year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

The NSO added that the unemployment rate in April eased marginally to 5.2 per cent compared to 5.3 per cent last year.

The majority of those registering for work in August were males aged between 30 and 44.

Among males, jobs related to crafts, plant and machine operation and elementary duties were the most sought after, whereas females tended to seek jobs which were clerical or service-oriented.

In April the long-term unemployment rate for people who have been registering for work for more than 12 months stood at 1.8 per cent.

The unemployment rate among older people (45 and over) was 3.9 per cent while the unemployment rate among young people (under 25) stood at 8.8 per cent.