Cyprus unemployment up 70% year on year

Unemployment rose in Cyprus by 70.7% over the year earlier in September, the highest increase recorded so far this year.
According to the Statistical Service, the number of people registered at the District Labour Offices on the last day of September 2009, reached 17,618, compared with 10,319 in September 2008.
The increase came mainly from the sectors of construction (an increase of 2,022), wholesale and retail trade (1,198), real estate and business activities (754), hotels and restaurants (696), manufacturing (612), public administration (481), as well as to newcomers in the labour market, where an increase of 844 unemployed persons was recorded.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of registered unemployed reached 19,781 persons in September, up by 5.6% compared with the previous month.