Malta's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in July 2026, an increase of one percentage point from the 2.5% recorded in July 2025, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office.

The latest figures show that the number of unemployed people stood at 11,963 in July, down slightly from 12,164 in June.

Young people continued to face significantly higher unemployment, with the unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 24 reaching 9.8%, compared with 2.9% among people aged between 25 and 74.

The youth unemployment rate also increased compared with July 2025, when it stood at around 7.5%.

Of the total number of unemployed people in July, 9,199 were aged between 25 and 74, accounting for 76.9% of the total. A further 2,763 were aged between 15 and 24, representing 23.1%.

The unemployment rate for men stood at 3.5%, while that for women was 3.4%. Compared with June, the male unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points, while the female rate remained unchanged.

The NSO said the unemployment rate is derived using a benchmarking model combining Jobsplus administrative data on employment and unemployment with quarterly Labour Force Survey data.