Taiwan reported the most number of unemployed people in August compared with the same month in the previous two years, according to a local media report.

The number of "long-term" unemployed, referring to those out of work for at least one year, hit 63,000 in August, the report said, citing the latest figures from the Taiwan authorities.

Of these, 56 percent were aged under 30 and almost 30 percent were educated to college level or above.

Taiwan registered fewer than 40,000 long-term unemployed before 2001. However, as the economy slides and more companies close, the problem has worsened.

In 2002, up to 100,000 people were jobless, and the figure dropped to 53,000 in August 2006.

The statistics of September was still being processed, the report said, warning that if it was to continue rising, the situation would be even more serious than expected.

(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2008)