The number of people registering for work in December increased by two thirds when compared to the same month the previous year, statistics released on Friday show.

According to national data, there were 2,765 people registering for work at the end of 2020, an increase of  1,123 compared to the corresponding month in 2019. The job market has been hit hard because of the pandemic.

Back then 1,642 were looking for a job.

The National Statistics Office said that data provided by Jobsplus for December 2020 showed a year-on-year increase of 1,021 people registering under Part I of the unemployment register.

These people are either new job seekers who have left school, those re-entering the labour market or people who have been made redundant by their former employers.

An additional 102 people registering under Part II included workers who have been dismissed from work due to disciplinary action, those who left work out of their own free will, others who refused work or training opportunities and people who were struck off the register after an inspection by law enforcement personnel.

As expected, registered unemployment increased across all age groups, more than doubling among those aged between 20 and 29.

Most of those on the unemployment register sought clerical and support work vacancies. 

While the increase was registered among those looking for a job throughout 2020, those who had been registering for work for more than one year decreased when compared to the same month in 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of people with a disability who were registering for work in December increased by a quarter when compared to the previous year, reaching 254.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that nearly two thirds of those who lost their job because of the pandemic are now back in work.