The registered unemployed in July decreased by 693 to 6,828 compared to the same month last year but increased by nearly one per cent over the previous month, the National Statistics Office said.

The number of registered unemployed totalled 6,140 in Malta and 688 in Gozo.

Over the one-year period to July, unemployment decreased by 620 and 73 in Malta and Gozo, respectively.

There was a significant reduction in the number of registered unemployed across all age groups.

A different pattern was obtained in June whereby the number of registered unemployed aged 45 and over increased by 1.1 per cent.

In July, people registering as unemployed for less than one year decreased by 875 when compared to July 2009. In contrast, those registering for employment for over one year increased by 182.

The number of people with a disability under Part 1 of the unemployment register stood at 421. Of these, 82.4 per cent were men and 17.6 per cent were women.

Among unemployed men, occupations in crafts and related trades were the most common, whereas women sought more clerical or service-oriented jobs.

In February, the registered unemployment rate stood at 5.2 per cent of the labour supply. On a gender basis, the unemployment rate for men stood at 5.9 per cent, while that for women stood at 3.6 per cent.

The long-term unemployment rate, referring to persons who have been registering for work for more than 12 months, stood at 1.8 per cent.

Among workers aged 45 and over, the unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent. This rate in respect of those under 25 stood at 6.8 per cent.