4.6% increase in the number of employed persons – NSO – The Malta Independent

During the first quarter of 2024, the Labor Force Survey estimates that the total number of employed persons was 306,571, 4.6 percent higher than last year, the NSO said Thursday.

Job Status

Labor force survey estimates showed that, during the first quarter, total employment was 306,571, accounting for 64.3 percent of the population aged 15 and over. Unemployed persons were 9,301 (1.9 percent) while inactive persons were 161,243 (33.8 percent). The activity rate for the quarter under review was estimated at 81.3 percent with the highest rate recorded among people aged 25 to 54 (91.6 percent).

Employed Population

On average, out of every 100 people aged 15 to 64, 79 were employed. The employment rate of men for this age group was 84.7 percent, while that of women was 72.0 percent. The largest percentage of employees was registered among people aged 25 to 34, both for men and women.

Self-employed persons accounted for 13.8 percent of all persons with main jobs. The majority of employees worked full-time and amounted to 271,309. Another 35,262 had a part-time job as their main employment. The results show that, on average, full-time workers typically worked 40.9 hours while part-time workers worked 21.5 hours per week. In the first quarter of 2024, employees actually worked 34.1 hours per week, 1.4 hours less compared to the same quarter a year ago.

The average monthly basic salary of employees for the first quarter of 2024 is estimated at €1,928. The highest basic salary is recorded in the sector of financial and insurance activities. Average monthly wages ranged from €1,223 among people employed in elementary occupations to €3,132 among managers.

Unemployed and inactive population

The unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2024 was 3.0 percent. The largest percentage of unemployed is registered among people aged 25 to 74. Women accounted for 58.7 percent of the total inactive persons and those over 65 constituted the highest proportion of inactive persons. The main reason for inactivity is related to people reaching retirement age or early retirement (41.7 percent).

Educational Attainment

Forty percent of people aged 15 and over had achieved a low level of education. In contrast, 37.0 percent of employees had higher education.