CYPRUS: Registered unemployed drops 16.7% to under 30,000

The number of registered unemployed dropped by 5,971 in December 2018 compared to a year ago, official data indicates.

In December, the jobless number fell 16.7% and was reduced to 29,800 from 35,771 the year before, according to the Statistical Service.

Based on the seasonally adjusted data that show the trend of unemployment, the number of registered unemployed for December 2018 decreased to 23,929 from 24,589 in the previous month.

Compared to a year ago, the biggest drops in unemployment were observed in the sectors of trade (a decrease of 1,193 unemployed), public administration (-1,137), accommodation and food service activities (-794), manufacturing ( -607), construction (-529), education (-189) and for newcomers to the job market (-1,521).