Unemployment rate increases to 1.9 pct

The unemployment rate for June–August this year reached 1.9 percent, up slightly by 0.1 percentage points from May–July, data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) shows. The underemployment rate remained stable at 0.4 percent, DSEC said.
The number of unemployed citizens reached 7,500, up by 100 from May–July. With fresh graduates joining the labor market, the number of new labor force entrants searching for their first job (1,300) increased by 200, making up 17.7 percent of the total unemployed, up by 3.3 percentage points from May–July.
In comparison with June–August 2014, the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.6 percentage points, while the unemployment and underemployment rates increased by 0.2 and 0.1 percentage points respectively.
The total labor force numbered 402,700 and the participation rate stood at 73.3 percent. The total number of those employed decreased by 2,800 from May–July to 395,100. Analyzed by industry, employment in the Construction and Retail Trade registered a decrease, while employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities saw an increase.