​Unemployment Rate: November 2020​

08 January 2021 | 1100 hrs | 003/2021

Unemployment Rate: November 2020

The seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for November 2020 reached 4.8 per cent, up by 0.1 percentage points when compared to the previous month.

Main points

• In November 2020, the monthly unemployment rate was 4.8 per cent (Chart 1, Table 1).
• For the month under review, the unemployment rate for males was 4.8 per cent while the rate for females stood at 4.7 per cent (Table 1).
• The unemployment rate during November 2020 for persons aged 15 to 24 years (youth unem- ployment rate) was 11.4 per cent while the rate for those between 25 and 74 years stood at 4.0 per cent (Table 1).

Chart 1. Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate

per cent

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2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

year

Note: Data for reference years 2010-2019 is on an annual basis; data for reference year 2020 is from January to November.

Statistics in this News Release should be interpreted in the context of the COVID-19 situation.

Compiled by: Labour Market and Information Society Statistics Unit	1
Contact us: National Statistics Office, Lascaris, Valletta VLT 2000
T. [phone], E. [e-mail]
https://twitter.com/NSOMALTA/		https://www.facebook.com/nsomalta/

Components leading to the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate

The unemployment rate for November 2020 stood at 4.8 per cent, up by 0.1 percentage point when compared with the previous month and 1.2 percentage points more than November 2019 (Table 1).

During November 2020, the number of unemployed persons was 13,081 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 3,365, whereas those aged between 25 and 74 stood at 9,716 (Table 2).

In November 2020, the unemployment rate for males was 4.8 per cent, at par with the previous month. The rate for females stood at 4.7 per cent, 0.1 percentage points more than October 2020 estimates (Table 1).

The unemployment rate for persons aged 15 to 24 years (youth unemployment rate) was 11.4 per cent, while the rate for those between 25 and 74 years stood at 4.0 per cent (Table 1, Chart 2).

Table 1. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate by age group, sex and month

		Age group		Sex	Total
Month
15-24	25-74	Males	Females
			%
			2019
November	9.7	2.8	3.3	4.1	3.6
December	9.8	2.8	3.5	3.8	3.6
			2020
January	10.8	2.8	3.7	3.7	3.7
February	10.8	2.6	3.7	3.2	3.5
March	10.5	3.1	4.0	3.6	3.9
April	9.8	3.7	4.3	4.5	4.4
May	10.5	3.6	4.2	4.7	4.4
June	10.0	3.8	4.2	4.8	4.4
July	10.3	3.8	4.4	4.7	4.5
August	10.6	3.8	4.5	4.6	4.5
September	11.1	3.9	4.6	4.7	4.6
October	10.9	4.0	4.8	4.6	4.7
November	11.4	4.0	4.8	4.7	4.8

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Chart 2. Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate by age group

per cent

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J F M A M J J A S O N D	J F M A M J J A S O N D	J F M A M J J A S O N
2018	2019	2020
	period

					15 to 24 years		25 to 74 years
	Table 2. Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment levels by age group, sex and month
Month			Age group			Sex		Total
	15-24	25-74		Males	Females
						2019
November		2,969	6,863	5,382	4,450		9,832
December		2,941	6,956	5,660	4,238		9,897
						2020
January		3,215	6,991	6,047	4,158		10,206
February		3,148	6,511	6,081	3,578		9,659
March		3,048	7,540	6,524	4,064		10,588
April		2,841	9,004	6,857	4,988		11,845
May		3,095	8,687	6,654	5,128		11,782
June		2,917	9,039	6,622	5,335		11,957
July		2,926	9,260	7,002	5,185		12,186
August		3,046	9,141	7,100	5,087		12,187
September		3,247	9,362	7,311	5,298		12,609
October		3,188	9,789	7,712	5,265		12,977
November		3,365	9,716	7,723	5,357		13,081

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Methodological Notes

1. The purpose of this release is to provide a detailed series of monthly unemployment estimates using harmonised definitions applied in the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The release contains both monthly unemployment rates and monthly unemployment levels.
2. The monthly unemployment rates are based on the definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The measurement is based on a harmonised source, the LFS, which is designed to satisfy the concepts and definitions as outlined by Eurostat, the EU's Statistical Agency.
3. At a national level the NSO publishes labour market data generated from two different sources, namely the Labour Force Survey and administrative data from Jobsplus. Both sets of data are considered as official statistics; however one has to bear in mind that there may be differences between the sources owing to different definitions. While the count of employed and unemployed is based on persons registering for work, the LFS definition is based on the ILO criteria as explained in the methodological notes.
   The LFS is a household survey which provides an insight into the labour market dynamics among private households. The survey is designed to satisfy the concepts and definitions as outlined by Eurostat and allows the comparability of results with other EU member states and countries following ILO definitions of employment and unemployment.
   When comparing unemployment levels between the two sources of data, one notes a variable gap between the two levels. This is mainly the result of different definitions. Unemployment in LFS includes all persons who do not have a job, are looking for a job and are ready to start working within two weeks of the reference period. This makes the LFS definition wider in scope when compared to that of Jobsplus.
   Over the past years, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed who do not register with Jobsplus but who result to be unemployed when using the LFS criteria. In this regard, LFS unemployment levels encompass individuals who may not necessarily resort to Jobsplus to find a job.
   Due to these reasons, one can observe that Jobsplus unemployment levels are highly determined by eligibility criteria and national policies addressing work. LFS levels are on the other hand, determined by the dynamics of the labour market. Consequently, there may be instances when trends may not be completely aligned.
   The monthly unemployment rates are computed on the basis of a benchmarking model which combines monthly Jobsplus administrative data on employment and unemployment with quarterly LFS data. This computation produces the non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) estimates, which are then seasonally adjusted (SA). The results in this release are all seasonally adjusted, however, non-seasonally adjusted data are included in the Excel version of this release. The monthly figures produced differ from the quarterly LFS published data due to differences in the method of calculation.
4. Definitions:
5. • Employed persons: all persons aged 15 to 74 years who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
   • • paid employment: includes those who during the reference week worked for at least one hour for a wage or salary, in cash or in kind.
     • were employed but absent from work: due to sick leave, bad weather, were undergoing training or education, did not work due to a labour dispute, were on maternity or parental leave, did not work due to slack work for technical or economic reasons, were absent from work for a period of less than 3 months, or were not working because on layoff and receiving at least 50 per cent of the salary/wage.
     • self-employed: covers persons who run a trade or business, rather than working as an employee for someone else. A person is self-employed if s/he is a sole proprietor or a partner working in a business.
     • unpaid family workers: refers to people who worked without pay in a family business or farm. Housewives are not included.
   • Labour force: The sum of persons aged 15 to 74 years who are either employed or unemployed.
   • Unemployed persons: The sum of persons aged 15 to 74 years who, during the LFS reference week, satisfied the following criteria:
   • • without work
     • actively seeking work during the previous four weeks: example of active job search include contacting Jobsplus, applying directly with an employer, contacting a private employment agency, inserting or answering to an advert in a newspaper.
     • currently available for work: available to start working within two weeks of the reference week.
   • Unemployment rate: Unemployed persons (15 to 74 years) as a percentage of the labour force (15 to 74 years).

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