Labour market information: Malta

Labour situation – October-December 2021

During the fourth quarter of 2021:

1. the number of employed persons aged 15 years and over was 274 110 or 61.7 % of the population over 15 years of age;
2. 8 829 persons, or 2.0 % of that same group, were unemployed (not working);
3. 161 485 persons or 36.3 % of that population were not active.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the activity rate of both those in work and the unemployed was estimated at 79.1 % of the working-age population. A comparison of the fourth quarter of 2021 with the same quarter of 2020 shows an increase of 1.9 %. The highest activity rate, at 90.9 %, was among people aged between the 25 and 54.

The part of the population in employment

Among the female working population, 36.4 % were working in the sectors of public administration, defence, education, healthcare and social work; 21.5 % were working in the wholesale and retail sector, the motor vehicle and household appliances repair sector, hotels and restaurants, and transport sector; and 14.1 % were working in other services sectors.

The majority of men (25.6 %) were working in the retail and wholesale sector, the motor vehicle and household appliances repair sector, hotels and restaurants, and transport sector; 17.9 % were working in public administration, defence, education, healthcare and social work sectors; followed by manufacturing, quarrying and other sectors with 15.1 %.

In general, the most common job category was the professional sector, which accounts for 57 035 persons or 20.8 %. This category includes doctors, dentists, pharmacists, engineers, teachers, consultants and others. 29 714 persons or 26 % of women and 27 321 persons or 17.1 % of men also work in this sector.

Between October and December 2021, the majority of people employed on a full-time basis was 243 016 or 88.7 % and 31 094 or 11.3 % were working on a part-time basis. The number of self-employed persons amounted to 15.3 % of the entire working population.

The annual gross salary per month for employees was estimated at EUR 1 613 per year. This amount refers to the basic salary and excludes additional payments such as overtime, bonuses and allowances. On a sector basis, the highest average gross annual salary was registered for employees in the finance and insurance sector, whereas the highest average salary for a main occupation was recorded among management administrators.

The part of the population that is unemployed

Between October and December 2021, the estimated unemployment rate stood at 3.2 %. The highest rates of unemployment were among people aged between 25 and 74. Among the unemployed, 67.3 % said they had been looking for a job for less than 12 months.

Source: Labour Force Survey – October and December Q3/2021, Issue No 043/2022

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According to administrative information on vacancies in the PES (Public Employment Service), the 20 most requested job/skill types between October and December 2021 were as follows:

At the end of January 2022, 26 % of persons registering for employment with Jobsplus (PES) sought mainly clerical work, whereas 17 % sought work in the technical and professional sectors. A total of 20 % of men and 39 % of women who were registering for employment sought clerical work; 16 % of men and 18 % of women sought technical and professional work; and 13 % of men and 17 % of women sought work in sales and services.