The number of registered unemployed rose by 430 from April to May, an increase of 10.8 percent to reach 4,409. Figures published by the National Statistics Office show a rise of 2,740 on the unemployment register compared to May last year.
Increases were observed across all age groups, but the biggest month-on-month change was recorded among people aged between 25 and 29 years, where unemployment grew by 20 percent to over 570 people. The lowest increase was registered among those 45 and over (7.4%), however, at 1,583 unemployed the group has the biggest number in absolute terms.
Just over a quarter of unemployed persons are registered as clerical support workers, and a fifth classify as technicians and associate professionals. The smallest increase in registered unemployment was seen in elementary occupations, up 3.5 percent from April; jobs in the managerial category, on the other hand, recorded the biggest rise (26%), going from 341 in April to 431 in May.
Managers made up 5.5 percent of the job seeking market in May last year, growing to 9.8 percent this year. This was the highest gain of share in terms of job categories. By contrast, unemployed skilled workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors increased by 27 percent compared with last year, but at 60 people, the share of this category shrunk from 2.8 percent to 1.4 percent of the registered unemployed over the same period.
