A rise in the number of people out of work in the Isle of Man isn't a surprise.
That's the view of the Chief Minister after figures for December showed registered unemployment stood at 1,159, up 42 in a month.
The figure in December 2012 was 1,020, so the annual rise was 139.
The island’s unemployment rate is 2.6 per cent, compared to a figure of 7.4% in the UK at the end of November.
Allan Bell says there is often an increase in unemployment at this time of the year and the recent bad weather has had a detrimental affect on one industry in particular:
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