Unemployment In Malta Rises By 1,854 People In A Month As Pandemic Restrictions Bite
Unemployment in Malta has consistently been on the decline in recent years but it has spiked upwards in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statistics released by the National Statistics Office today show that 3,979 people registered for work last April, an increase of 1,854 people since March.
The majority of these people, 2,429, who are registering for work are men, while 1,550 are women.
Malta’s unemployment figures hit a record low last year but, since the start of the pandemic, have now risen to what they were between 2015 and 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left Malta and several other countries grappling with the dilemma of whether the cost of restricting economic activity is worth the end result of potentially spreading the rate of infection and today’s statistics provide the first indication of what prolonged restriction could mean for the local job market.
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association has warned of a situation of “mass unemployment” if the airport isn’t opened in time for summer.
What do you make of these figures?