Unemployment rate remains identical to last three months

The unemployment rate for the month of February was 4.4%, identical to the previous three months, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

The unemployment rate has remained at 4.4% since November last year, having peaked at 4.6% in July and August last summer.

The unemployment rate in February 2020 – the month before the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Malta – stood at 3.5%, according to the NSO’s figures.

During February 2021, the number of unemployed persons was 11,930 with the unemployed males and the 25 to 74 age group being the major contributors to the overall level of unemployment.

The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed youths amounted to 2,766, whereas those aged between 25 and 74 stood at 9,165.

In February 2021, the unemployment rate for males was 4.5 per cent, 0.1 percentage points more than the previous month. The rate for females stood at 4.2 per cent, down by 0.1 percentage points from January 2021 estimates.

The unemployment rate for persons aged 15 to 24 years (youth unemployment rate) was 10.0% – down from 10.7% in January and 11.5% in December, while the rate for those between 25 and 74 years old stood at 3.7%.