The number of registered unemployed people totaled 239,400 on 1 February.
"January saw a sharp increase in the number of job-seekers. The number of the registered unemployed rose by 12,300 during the month," it said in a press release.
The number of people out of job normally grows in the beginning of the year due to a surge of people who plan to be self-employed, the Labor Exchange said.
A positive development was in the number of new job vacancies registered by employers - it rose by almost 14 percent month-on-month to 14,300.
