In the 4th quarter this year, Malta had the fourth largest job vacancy rate in the EU, a government statement has read.

"According to Eurostat, at the end of 2016 there were 4,200 job vacancies, and 2,900 reistering for employment."

The statement, released by government, drew comparisons with numbers from the beginning of the legislature, showing an increase in job vacancies, and a decrease in unemployment.

Employers are looking to increase their number of employees by 2.5%, the statement read.

The statement read that operators in the manufacturing and construction sectors in Malta have one of the highest demand for workers in these sectors in the EU.