In the fourth quarter of 2024, the number of job vacancies in the country stood at 7,892, an increase of 3.4% over the same period in 2023, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said.
The statement by the NSO presents the findings of the Job Vacancy Survey, a quarterly enterprise-based enquiry that provides insights into the demand for labour by gauging the number of vacancies and occupied posts.
The wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services activities along with the professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities, generated more than half of all vacancies during the fourth quarter of 2024. On the other hand, the real estate activities sector recorded the lowest number of job vacancies, standing at 1.6% of the total number of calls for application in Q4 2024, the NSO said.
Professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities recorded the highest year-on-year increase in the number of vacancies, with an addition of 473 vacancies totalling to 2,226 vacancies. This was followed by the information and communications section, which saw an increase of 71 vacancies. On the contrary, the wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services activities experienced the largest drop when compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, with a reduction of 203 vacancies. Data also shows a correlation between enterprise size and number of job vacancies. In this regard, small enterprises (1 to 49 employees) contributed to approximately five in every ten vacancies whereas companies with 250 employees or more generated 16.7% of all vacancies of the fourth quarter of 2024, the NSO said.
In the private sector, job vacancies increased by 334 between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2024, totalling to 7,611, whereas within the public sector, the total for the same period stood at 281, it said. "The private sector continues to dominate the job vacancy market, representing 96.4% of all vacancies, leaving the public sector with a 3.6% share."
Occupied Posts
During the fourth quarter of 2024, the total number of occupied posts within enterprises employing one or more employees stood at 268,932. "Over one half of these posts were recorded in the wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities and in public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities. In this regard, over a period of one year, these categories of economic activities registered a growth of 1.7% and 3.4% respectively."
During the fourth quarter of 2024, 39.4% of occupied posts were estimated to be in enterprises employing 250 employees or more. Units with 50 to 249 employees made up just above one fourth of all occupied posts, it said.
Occupied posts within the private sector stood at 212,041, garnering 78.8% of the total amount of jobs. The public sector totalled 56,891, making up the remaining 21.2%, it said.
Job Vacancy Rate
In the fourth quarter of 2024, 2.9% of jobs in Malta were vacant, decreasing by 0.2 percentage points when compared to the preceding quarter and an increase of 0.1 percentage points in relation to the fourth quarter of 2023. "The job vacancy rate was highest within the information and communication sector (5.3%) whilst the public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities registered the lowest rate of job vacancies (1%)."
Small enterprises, with 1 to 49 employees, showed a higher job vacancy rate of 4.2%, suggesting a greater demand for labour in this segment. Large enterprises, comprising 250 or more employees, exhibited a lower rate of job vacancies at 1.2%, it said.
"The private sector registered a job vacancy rate of 3.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024 whereas 0.5% of total jobs in the public sector were vacant during the same period."