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Bormla and the south in general are frontrunners in the unemployment, relief and absenteeism stakes. James Debono reports
• Bormla: highest percentage of separated persons receiving social assistance
• Bormla: highest percentage of unemployed persons under 20
• Birgu, Kalkara and Bormla: highest rates of school absenteeism
• St Paul’s Bay: second highest percentage of poor separated persons
• Gozo: second highest percentage of unemployed young people
A MaltaToday analysis of three separate sets of statistics presented in parliament in the past month shows that localities in Cottonera have the highest concentration of separated persons living on relief, the highest number of unemployed young people, and the highest number of absentees from schools.
Nearly 4% of the total population of Bormla is composed of separated persons living on welfare benefits.
Bormla is closely followed by St Paul’s Bay as the locality with the highest concentration of separated persons living on social assistance.
Over the past decade, relatively cheap rents have attracted separated persons to St Paul’s Bay. As a result the town now boasts the highest number in absolute terms of separated persons on relief. A total of 319 separated persons – which amount to 3.5% of the population of Malta’s northern sea side resort – are receiving unemployment benefits or other forms of social assistance.
Overall, a total of 4,431 separated persons in Malta and Gozo live on relief. Among the top 10 relief localities, all except Gzira and St Paul’s Bay are in the south.
Of these, Bormla can also claim the highest rate of unemployed young people, followed by Gozo, Isla, Valletta, Marsa and Kalkara.
A total of 819 young people under 20 years of age in Malta and Gozo are registered as unemployed. 10% of the unemployed young people hail from Gozo.
Birgu leads the list of localities with the highest number of children who were absent for more than a month from school in 2005. All the five top localities with the highest absenteeism figures are found in the south of the islands.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt |
