Registered unemployment in January grew by 8.12 per cent over the same period last year, according to the latest official figures.

Figures released by the National Statistics Office yesterday show that the number of people registering for work stood at 6,988: 6,220 in Malta and 768 in Gozo.

Unemployment in December stood at 6,480 but, there was a spike when compared with last year as the effects of the global financial crisis started to kick in. In fact, some companies announced lay-offs and measures restricting production throughout January. The NSO said that in the 12 months to January, both Malta and Gozo experienced an increase in unemployment, up 496 in Malta and 29 in Gozo. The number of jobless men rose by 519.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to people who have been registering for employment for more than 12 months, stood at 1.4 per cent.

The unemployment rate among workers aged 45 and over was 3.9 per cent while the unemployment rate among people under 25 stood at 4.2 per cent.