The number of female employees in the professional sector increased by 2,724 between January and March this year over the same period in 2006, while there had been an increase of 3,249 female employees in all sectors of employment, according to Parliamentary Secretary for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed Edwin Vassallo.

Mr Vassallo was quoting statistics issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) while addressing a news conference during which he presented the Customer Service Quality Mark (CSQM) certificate to Professional Health and Beauty Services and Biocare director Phyllis Muscat.

CSQM director Joe Meilak was also present.

Mr Vassallo said that one of the government’s aims, when discussing the last budget, was to make sure that the number of working women increased.

Self-employed workers and the owners of small businesses were the backbone of Malta’s commercial sector, with 96 per cent of Malta’s private sector made up of small businesses that employed up to 10 people, said Mr Vassallo.

In the professional sector, he added, the number of self-employed women who employ staff has increased by 296 between January and March this year over the same period in 2006.

Furthermore, said Mr Vassallo, the number of self-employed women owning businesses with employees had increased by 188 over the first three months of last year.

The CSQM certification is voluntary, private, and generic and is awarded to companies that opt to provide clients with a high-quality service.

Mr Vassallo said that companies that chose to offer a good service to clients were setting themselves up for a solid future.

He pointed out that this was what PHBS and Biocare have done, as the company had clearly understood what was meant by providing a professional service.

The parliamentary secretary said that the health and beauty sector was always growing, with around 900 establishments and 2,500 employees.