In the first five months of the year, an average of 111,548 people were registered as unemployed, which is 1.3% less than in the same period last year.

However, while the jobless total is falling, the average time of unemployment is growing. In May 2012, the average time a person was registered with the Employment service was one year, ten months and 21 days, which is two months and ten days more than a year before.

Out of 8,764 people removed from the jobless register in May, a total of 4,671 found a job or chose self-employment, which is 14.6% less than in April and 25.4% less year-on-year.

In the January-May period, 27,475 of the total 44,717 removed from the register entered employment, which is 7.7% less year-on-year.

Out of the 6,476 newly registered unemployed (10% less than in April and 1.7% more than in May 2011), 639 were first-time job seekers, 1,673 were redundant workers and 3,102 were people whose fixed-term contracts ended.

A total of 38,759 people registered with the Employment Service anew in the first five months of 2012 (5.3% less year-on-year), most of whom (20,059) finished their fixed-term contracts. A further 9,412 registered after being made redundant, while 3,661 were looking for their first employment.

Compared to the same period last year, the figure was 19.9% lower for first-time job seekers and 10.4% lower for redundant workers, while 3.8% more people were left unemployed because their fixed-term contracts ended.

On the monthly level, the share in the total unemployment figure fell for first-time job seekers, those with lowest levels of education and age groups of up to 24 and 25-39. This however came on the account of a higher share of unemployed women, the long-term unemployed and the age groups 40-49 and over 50.

In the year-on-year comparison for May, the share in the total unemployment figure increased for women, the long-term unemployed and the age groups 25-39 and 40-49. In the education structure of the unemployed, the share of people with tertiary education rose to 13.4%, while the shares of other groups were lower than a year before.

Employers published a total of 14,248 job vacancies in May, 2% more than in April but 20.1% less than a year before. In the first five months, the vacancies figure was 73,075, which is 7.6% less year-on-year.