Job seekers drop last quarter

The number of job seekers dropped significantly last quarter, the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) announced yesterday.
According to official data, more than 1,900 people signed up at the DSAL employment department during the last three months of 2011, down by 753 (28 percent) from the previous quarter.
Most applicants (49 percent) were looking for a new job after they were fired or their contract came to an end, while 33 percent had left their previous position in search of ‘a different work environment’.
More worryingly, the majority of the candidates (60 percent) were 45 years old or above, while job seekers between 25 and 44 took up 30 percent and those younger than 25 accounted for just 10 percent of the total.
The five most-wanted positions were security guard, administrative staff, cleaning worker, construction worker and salesperson. On the other hand, employers were also looking for waiters and cooks.
But a DSAL statement shows that a huge difference remained between the wages sought by workers and the ones offered by employers. The biggest gap was found on job offers for cooks, where workers were looking for salaries 30 percent higher than the ones on offer.