In January, the number of the employed had declined for the sixth consecutive month.
On the year, the number of the employed dropped 3.2 per cent.
The number of the jobless registered with the Employment Service at the end of January was 372,003, up 3.8% on the month, with the registered unemployment rate reaching 21.9% in January. This was the largest registered unemployment rate since November 2002, when it was 22%.
The number of jobless today was 375,672.