The registered unemployed amounted to 5,854 in Malta and 684 in Gozo last month, an overall drop of 158 when compared to the corresponding month last year, the National Statistics Office said.

It said that the number registering under Part 1 of the unemployment register dropped by 115 (1.9 per cent), those registering under Part 2 by 43 (six per cent).

Year-on-year, unemployment among men fell by 144, or 2.7 per cent, while that among women decreased by 14, or one per cent.

There were 5,137 men and 1,401 women registering for work in October. Unemployment declined across all age groups with the exception of those aged 45 and over.

When compared to October last year, the number of people registering for work for less than 20 weeks increased by 65 to 3,045 (2.2 per cent).

On the other hand, the number of peopleregistering for more than one year dropped by 175 to 2,296 (7.1 per cent).

The number of disabled persons registering for work under Part 1 of the unemployment register stood at 415.

The largest share of unemployed men sought occupations in services, sales and crafts, whereas women mostly sought clerical jobs.

In June 2011, the registered unemployment rate (excluding part-timers) stood at four per cent of the labour supply.

This rate stood at 4.7 per cent for men and 2.5 per cent for women. The registered unemployment rate among workers aged 45 and over stood at 4.3 per cent, while that in respect of those aged less than 25 stood at 4.4 per cent.

The unemployment rate of persons who had been registering for work for at least one year under Part 1 of the register stood at 1.5 per cent, 1.8 per cent for men and 0.7 per cent for women.