Lowest jobless rate in first quarter 2006

The first quarter of 2006 has recorded the lowest unemployment rate of 7.2 percent according to a survey done by the Department of Census and Statistics.

This is the first instance it has recorded such a low rate of unemployment. In 1996 it was 11.3 percent, 2002 8.8 percent and in 2004 it further reduced to 8.3 percent.

At the end of 2005 it was 7.7 percent while it reduced to 7.2 percent during the first four months of 2006.

According to the survey 7,081,435 are in employment. Except for the districts of North and East from 2005, first quarter of 2006 the number of persons in employment increased by 304,000.