Private sector is main driver for jobs growth but government has not held back

The Central Bank of Malta says the private sector added 8,430 new jobs in April while the public sector employed 841 new full-timers

Jobs continued to grow in April
Jobs continued to grow in April

More than 9,000 new jobs were added to the market in April with the bulk of the increase happening in the private sector, figures out today show.

There were 187,977 gainfully occupied people in April, according to the Central Bank of Malta’s Economic Update.

The increase in full-time employment accounts for a 5.2% increase over the same month a year earlier.

Full-timers in the private sector increased by 8,430 or 6.3%, while the public sector saw an increase of 841 full-time employees, or 1.9%, in April this year over the same month in 2016.

The CBM said the increase of jobs with the government happened in public administration, defence and education.

The overall increase in the gainfully occupied came on a similar increase the previous month.

Malta’s above average economic performance has resulted in a thriving jobs market, which has necessitated the importation of labour.

The government has also been accused of dishing out public sector jobs in the run-up to the election that was held in June.

The CBM said the number of registered unemployed stood at 2,577 in April, for an unemployment rate of 1.4%. Unemployment experienced a drop of more than 30% in just one year.