Unemployement at a 50 year high

The unemployment figures released on Thursday have caused further concern about the condition of the economy and the tourist industry. In June, the number of jobless was the highest for the past 50 years and the government is trying to play the situation down. Director General for the Economy, Antoni Monserrat, said yesterday that all the talk of an economic and tourist crisis is wrong, “but the unemployment figures suggest the contrary.” However, Monserrat was quick to point out that since 1996, the population has grown by 10 per cent and that 38 per cent of employment has been generated by foreign manual labourers.