The unemployment rate stood at 3.3 percent last month, while the full-year average came in at 3.35 percent — both the lowest readings in 25 years, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. On a seasonally adjusted basis, last month’s jobless rate was 3.35 percent, marking a 26-year low. Regulatory restrictions on senior employment have been eased, allowing workers aged 65 and older to remain in the workforce by mutual agreement with employers, she said. By educational attainment, university graduates recorded the highest unemployment rate last year at 4.53 percent, followed by high-school and vocational-school graduates at 3.06 percent. The jobless rate stood at 9.21 percent for those aged 15 to 19 and rose to 11.6 percent for the 20-to-24 group, reflecting first-time jobseekers still transitioning into the workforce.
