According to the Labour Force Survey data provided by Jobsplus the number of full-time gainfully occupied people in Malta has increased by 9,188 and has reached a population of 187,977 as of April 2017. The private sector added 8,430 new full-time jobs, while the public sector was responsible for a further 758 since April 2016. The increase in jobs was complimented by a reduction of 1,174 in registered unemployment, netting an increase of 8,014 people to the Labour Force which now boasts a population of 190,554.
Unemployment Trends
Registered unemployment by the end of April 2017 was down to 2,577, down by 1,174 from 3,751 people a year before. These figures are very encouraging and denote a positive trend in the labour market foreshadowing that the current economic growth is likely to carry on. Specific unemployment statistics published by the NSO 2 weeks ago show that registered unemployment fell even further to 2,472 in September 2017.
However, the latter figure marks a year on year decrease in registered unemployment of “only” 735; which while still positive marks a slowdown on that front. While this is somewhat to be expected, given the record low registered unemployment figures stand at, it is a bit worrying that the figure for those who have been unemployed for over a year (currently at 1,156) is the one declining at the slowest rate.
Part-time Jobs
Registered part-time employment in April 2017 went up by 5.8 per cent when compared to a year
earlier.
Employed persons whose part-time job was their primary occupation totalled 34,858, up by 3.5 per cent when compared to April 2016. The number of people holding both a part-timer and a full-time job amounted to 25,161, a 9.3 per cent increase when compared to the corresponding month in 2016.
The detailed Gainfully Occupied Population: April 2017 report published by the NSO, complete with all the data tables, can be found here.