There were 6,587 people registering for work in December, 19 less than in the same month in 2010.

The National Statistics Office said that records provided by the Employment and Training Corporation show that those registering for employment in Malta amounted to 5,884, in Gozo to 703.

The number of people registering under Part 1 of the register decreased by 62 (one per cent), while those registering under Part 2 increased by 43 (6.9 per cent).

There were 5,154 men and 1,433 women registering for work during the month under review.

Unemployment among men went down by 62, or 1.2 per cent, while female unemployment went up by 43, or 3.1 per cent. Unemployment declined across all age groups with the exception of those aged 45 and over.

When compared to December 2010, the number of persons registering for more than one year decreased by 108 to 2,278 (4.5 per cent). Persons with a disability registering under Part 1 of the register numbered 431.

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