The unemployment rate in Greece fell to 9.1 pct in the first quarter of 2007, down from 9.7 pct in the corresponding period last year and 10.4 pct during the same period in 2005, the National Statistical Service announced on Thursday.

The statistical service said the unemployment rate for the first three months of the year was the lowest since 1998 and noted that unemployment remained high among women (13.9 pct), while unemployment among men was at a low 5.7 pct. Unemployment among young people (aged 15-29) was 18.2 pct in the January-March period.

First-time unemployed totalled 32.3 percent of all unemployed people, while long-term unemployment (seeking a job for more than 12 months) accounted for 49 pct of the total number of jobless people.

The southern Aegean (16.5 pct), the Ionian islands (13.9 pct) and west Macedonia (13.0 pct) recorded the highest unemployment rates, while Thessaly (7.2 pct), the Peloponnese (7.4 pct) and Attica (8.3 pct) recorded the lowest unemployment rates.

The number of employed people 4,461,231 in the first quarter of 2007, with the primary sector accounting for 12 pct of total employment, the secondary sector 22 pct and the services sector for 66 pct

Source: Athens News Agency

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