The registered unemployed dropped by 124 in August, a 1.9 per cent decline when compared to the corresponding month last year.

The National Statistics Office said that according to administrative records held at the Employment and Training Corporation, the number of people registering for employment amounted to 6,465.

A total 5,787 registered for work in Malta, 678 in Gozo.

When compared to last year, registered unemployment decreased by 142 in Malta and went up by 18 persons in Gozo.

The number of men on the unemployment register amounted to 5,051, while women registering for work numbered 1,414.

Over the corresponding month in 2010, the incidence of unemployment decreased by 150 for men, but increased by 26 for women.

In comparison to the previous year, unemployment declined across all the age groups with the largest absolute drop being recorded among the 25-29 year olds.

When compared to the previous year, the number of people registering for work for less than 20 weeks increased by 139, while the number of people who had been registering for more than one year declined by 217.

The number of people with disability registering under Part 1 of the unemployment register amounted to 396.

In comparison to a year ago, this segment of unemployed went down by 16.

Most unemployed men were seeking occupations related to services, sales and crafts, whereas women sought clerical and service-oriented occupations.