ECONOMY

Early Easter helped jobless numbers ease

Early Easter helped jobless numbers ease

Manpower Organization (OAED) figures published on Wednesday showed a reduction in the number of registered unemployed in March by 2.51 percent, or 27,573 people, compared to February, as the early start of the tourism season this year thanks to Easter coming earlier than last year, has given the Greek labor market a boost.

According to the OAED data, the number of people without a job (regardless of whether they are seeking work) came to 1,068,293 last month, which is 3,923 below the figure recorded in March 2016 (1,072,216 people).

The long-term unemployed – those who have been out of work for at least 12 months – constituted more than half of the registered jobless (50.5 percent) at 539,757 individuals. People without jobs receiving unemployment benefits in March, meanwhile, came to 141,426, a reduction of 36,679 or 20.59 percent from February.

The number of women without work is considerably higher than that of men, as 61.26 percent of the registered unemployed were female. The age group with the biggest share among the jobless is the 30-44 year-olds, accounting for 424,081 people or 39.69 percent. Almost one in every six unemployed person (15.93 percent) is a university graduate, OAED figures showed.

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