NSO Malta revealed in the latest Job Vacancy Survey (JVS), that there was a significant increase in job vacancies and provided a breakdown of occupied posts and vacancy rates across various sectors.
Key Results:
1. Job Vacancies:
- Total Vacancies: There were 8,694 job vacancies, marking a 27.9% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
- Sector Contributions:
- Wholesale and Retail, Transportation, and Accommodation and Food Service Activities: Accounted for 23.6% of all vacancies.
- Real Estate Activities: Recorded the lowest number of vacancies at 1.3%.
- Year-on-Year Changes:
- Public Administration, Defence, Education, Human Health and Social Work Activities: Noted the highest increase with 1,144 more vacancies.
- Professional, Scientific, Technical, Administration and Support Service Activities: Increased by 708 vacancies.
- Wholesale and Retail, Transportation, and Accommodation and Food Service Activities: Experienced a decrease of 201 vacancies.
2. Enterprise Size and Vacancies:
- Small Enterprises (1-49 employees): Generated about 40% of vacancies.
- Large Enterprises (250+ employees): Contributed 20.6% of vacancies.
3. Economic Sectors:
- Private Sector: Saw an increase of 1,002 vacancies, holding 84.8% of the total vacancies.
- Public Sector: Increased by 897 vacancies, representing 15.2% of the total.
4. Occupied Posts:
- Total Posts: There were 264,379 occupied posts.
- Sector Distribution:
- Wholesale and Retail, Transportation, and Accommodation and Food Service Activities: Accounted for over one-fourth of occupied posts, growing by 3.7% over the year.
- Public Administration, Defence, Education, Human Health and Social Work Activities: Made up 24.9% of total occupied posts.
- Enterprise Size:
- Large Enterprises (250+ employees): Accounted for 38.7% of occupied posts.
- Medium Enterprises (50-249 employees): Comprised over one-fourth of all posts.
- Economic Sectors:
- Private Sector: Had 209,428 posts, 79.2% of the total.
- Public Sector: Had 54,951 posts, 20.8% of the total.
5. Job Vacancy Rate:
- Overall Rate: Stood at 3.2% for Malta, up by 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter and 0.6 points from Q1 2023.
- Sector Rates:
- Highest: Information and Communication sector at 6.1%.
- Lowest: Manufacturing, Mining, and Quarrying, and Other Industry at 2.2%.
- Enterprise Size:
- Medium Enterprises (50-249 employees): Had a higher vacancy rate of 4.5%.
- Large Enterprises (250+ employees): Had a lower vacancy rate of 1.7%.
- Economic Sectors:
- Private Sector: Job vacancy rate of 3.4%.
- Public Sector: Job vacancy rate of 2.3%.
Summary:
The first quarter of 2024 saw a significant rise in job vacancies, with notable sector-specific and enterprise size variations. The private sector continues to dominate the job market, with the highest vacancy rates observed in the information and communication sector and medium-sized enterprises. This data provides a clear picture of labor demand, highlighting areas of high vacancy rates and potential labor shortages.
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