228,000 out of a labor force of 3.01 million were unemployed in the first quarter.
The unemployment rate surged to 7.6% of the civilian labor force during the first quarter of 2009 from 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced today. The labor force totaled 3.01 million in the first quarter, of whom 228,000 were unemployed.
The Central Bureau of Statistics defines an unemployed person as someone who did not work at all during the determining week, actively searched for work during the preceding four weeks, and could have begun to work during the determining week had a job been offered.
As in the preceding quarter, the unemployment rate for women was greater than for men. The unemployment rate for women aged 26-64 rose to 7% in the first quarter from 5.9% in the preceding quarter, while the unemployment rate for men aged 25-64 rose to 6.5% from 5.5%.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 27, 2009
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