Moreover, the average number of females living in jobless households was approximately 24,000 while the estimated number of children living in these households stood at 8,163. Most of the people living in jobless households were older than 45 years.

The analysis of the Maltese population living in jobless households was carried out between December 2000 and December 2003. During December 2003, out of every 100 males between 18 and 59 years old, eight lived in jobless households. The figure for females in the same age bracket was 11.

According to the data available, there is not an even distribution of people living in jobless households within the different regions of the Maltese Islands. The average number of people living in the south and north harbour regions is just under 30 per cent compared to the 10.6 per cent of those living in the rest of the regions.

According to the information, only an average of 7.7 per cent of people living in jobless households had a post-secondary education or higher. By contrast, 92.3 per cent or 33,761 people were estimated to have a maximum of secondary education.