Unemployment in Israel increased by 4.7 percent last month to reach a record 10.9 percent of the civilian labor force in the final quarter of 1991, according to figures issued by the Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The number of jobless was put at 135,700 in December, up from 129,600 in November. By comparison, the number of unemployed ranged from 90,000 to 105,000 in the last two months of 1990.
Unemployment stands at its highest rate since the slump of 1966-67.
Moreover, the 135,746 Israelis out of work last month do not include new immigrants. During last year’s third quarter, 68,000 immigrants were employed and 44,000 were jobless.
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