The number of registered unemployed in July fell to 24,803 — down 21.7% over the same month last year, the Statistical Service said on Friday.
The annual drop in absolute numbers is 6,687 and is attributed mainly to commerce (down 1,311), construction (-937), hotel and catering (-784), public administration (- 778), processing (-679) transport (- 243) and newcomers to the job market (-1,108).
The highest registered unemployed was in February 2014 when it rose to 53,204 while the lowest since the 2013 crisis was in May 2018 at 22,839.
On a monthly basis the number of registered unemployed was up by 4.17% compared to June 2018. Taking seasonal fluctuations into consideration which show the trend in unemployment, the number of registered unemployed in July was
26,098 compared to 26,745 the previous month and 33,475 in July 2017.
