Unemployment decreased between March and April, according to statistics from the Directorate of Labour.
RÚV reports that 13,262 were registered for unemployment payments last April; 495 fewer than there were in March. This puts unemployment now at 8.1%, down by 0.5% from March.
The decline marks the first reversal of a trend which began last September, when unemployment was at 7.1% and then began to rise. Unemployment usually takes an upward turn during the winter months. However, unemployment was at 9% in April 2010, which could indicate that unemployment overall is declining in Iceland.
Unemployment was greater in the capital area (8.7%) than in the countryside (6.9%) and, as has been the case for years now, unemployment was highest in the Suðurnes region, in southwest Iceland (13.6%) and lowest in the northwest (4.1%). Nationally, unemployment was higher amongst men (8.6%) than women (7.4%).
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