In the first quarter of 2026, there were a total of 10,022 vacancies within enterprises employing one or more employees, registering an increase of 13.4 per cent over the same period in 2025.

In the first quarter of 2026, there were a total of 10,022 vacancies within enterprises employing one or more employees, registering an increase of 13.4 per cent over the same period in 2025.

The wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities, together with the professional, scientific and technical activities, and administrative and support service activities, accounted for more than 60 per cent of all vacancies issued during Q1 2026 by enterprises in the target group. On the other hand, the real estate activities sector recorded the lowest number of job vacancies, standing at 1.6 per cent of the total number of job vacancies during the same period.

When compared to the same quarter in 2025, the largest increase in job vacancies was recorded in the wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, and accommodation and food service activities sector. Vacancies in this sector rose by 688, reaching a total of 3,143. The professional, scientific, technical, administrative, and support service activities sector recorded the second-highest year-on-year increase, with 512 more new vacancies. In contrast, the public administration, defence, education, human health, and social work activities sector experienced the largest decline in job vacancies when compared to the first quarter of 2025, with the number of vacancies falling by 341.

The distribution of job vacancies by enterprise size reveals an inverse relationship between enterprise size and vacancy levels. Small enterprises (1-49 employees) accounted for more than half of all vacancies recorded in the first quarter of 2026, whereas large enterprises employing 250 employees or more contributed 16.8 per cent to the total share of vacancies.

In the private sector, the number of job vacancies increased by 1,281 between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, reaching a total of 9,676 vacancies. In contrast, the public sector recorded 346 vacancies during the same period. The private sector continued to dominate the job vacancy market, accounting for 96.5 per cent of all vacancies in the first quarter of 2026, while the public sector represented the remaining 3.5 per cent.

During the first quarter of 2026, the job vacancy rate in Malta stood at 3.3 per cent, decreasing by 0.1 percentage points compared to the preceding quarter and increasing by 0.3 percentage points when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025. Among the economic activities, construction recorded the highest job vacancy rate at 5.3 per cent, while public administration, defence, education, human health, and social work activities registered the lowest rate at 0.9 per cent.

Small enterprises, with 1 to 49 employees, showed a higher job vacancy rate of 5.1 per cent, suggesting a greater demand for labour in this segment. Large enterprises, comprising 250 or more employees, exhibited a lower rate of job vacancies at 1.4 per cent.

The private sector registered a job vacancy rate of 4.0 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, while the public sector recorded a rate of 0.6 per cent during the same period.