The annual average unemployment rate in Iceland in 2012 was 5.8 percent, according to the latest figures.

In December, the number of people registered as unemployed stood at 5.7 percent, an average of 8,958 and an increase of around 396 or 0.3 percent from November, mbl.is reports.

According to the Directorate of Labor, the unemployment rate generally increases at the end of the year due to seasonal variation but will likely then decrease to around 5.1 to 5.5 percent by the end of January.

The number of unemployed men increased by 254 from November to December compared to an increase of 176 among women. The increase was also greater in the countryside, 299 compared to 131 in the capital area.

The number of individuals unemployed for longer than six months stands at 4,818, about 50 percent of the total number of those unemployed, and 3,277 for those unemployed for more than one year.

Around 15 percent of individuals unemployed in December, or 1,450, are between the ages of 16 and 24, 590 less than in December 2011.

ZR