These are divided into three categories, namely, employed, unemployed and inactive. Of these, 163,779 people, or 51 per cent, were inactive while 157,573 people made up the labour force (both employed and unemployed).

In the period under review, the activity rate, which is defined as the number of people in the labour force (aged between 15 and 64 years) as a percentage of the working population in the same age bracket, stood at 57.6 per cent.

Of those aged between 15 and 64, 53 out of 100 were employed. The employment rate for males stood at 75 per cent, while that for females was 31.6 per cent.

For the second quarter of 2004, the total number of employed was estimated to be 146,044, with 25.5 per cent aged between 25 and 34 years. In fact, the average age of employed females was 34, and that for males was 39.

During this period, the highest majority – 20.1 per cent – worked in manufacturing, and a further 21,995 people, or 15.1 per cent, worked in the wholesale and retail trade.

In relation to the above, the most common category of occupation was service workers and shop and sales workers, which accounted for 22,162 people.

During the second quarter of 2004, the average gross annual salary of employees was estimated at Lm5,044 per annum. The highest paid employees are those employed in the financial intermediation sector, with an average gross annual salary of Lm6,474.

This group fell within a salary bracket that is 28.4 per cent higher than the total average gross salary for all employees.

From April to June 2004, the number of full-time workers stood at 134,224 or 91.9 per cent, whereas a further 10,545 or 7.2 per cent worked on a part-time basis. The majority, or 62.2 per cent, of part-timers were female. The number of females working on a full-time basis amounted to 26.4 per cent of all full-timers.

During the second quarter of 2004, the private sector employed 98,354 people, while government departments and ministries employed 30,962 or 21.2 per cent of the total employed. A year-on-year comparison revealed a fall of 2,516 people in the Public Majority Sector.

This fall in the economic sector is mainly attributed to the fact that Shipbuilding and Malta Drydocks employees now form part of Malta Shipyards, which is classified as an independent statutory body, and also due to the privatisation of the Malta International Airport.

From April to June 2004, the total number of people who were unemployed was estimated to be 11,529. The unemployment rate, which is defined as the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force, stood at 7.3 per cent.

The unemployment rate for males was 6.9 per cent, while that for females stood at 8.3 per cent.

The majority, or 53.1 per cent, of the total number of unemployed people were aged between 15 and 24. From the total unemployed, 5,795, or 50.3 per cent, had been seeking employment for 12 months or more.