Figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1 per cent in last month. This was up by 0.3 percentage points – or 10 000 persons – from November 2014 (average of October–December). The increase is barely within the error margin of the LFS, but still in line with an increasing trend since May 2014.
Quarterly LFS figures show that much of the increase in unemployment arises from people remaining unemployed for a longer time. The proportion of long-term unemployed increased from 29 per cent in the 1st quarter of 2014 to 38 per cent in the 1st quarter of 2015. Long-term unemployed are persons who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks.
The number of people registered as unemployed or on government initiatives to promote employment with the Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) increased by 1 000 from November 2014 to last month. This figure is also seasonally adjusted and based on a three-month average.
