Job creation up two per cent

Local employers are expected to increase their employment level by two per cent or 1,300 new recruitments by the end of next month, according to the Employment Barometer.

Filling new positions (job creation) totals 72.5 per cent of this increase; 20.5 per cent will fill vacant positions; 0.5 per cent will replace temporary absentees from work and the remaining 6.5 per cent for other reasons.

The Employment Barometer is a labour market instrument to determine short-run labour market shortages and recruitment problems faced by employers in the local labour market.

Therefore, the Barometer determines which occupations are expected to be in demand in the subsequent six months. This process is conducted every six months - in June and November.

Based on the employers' demand and on the available pool of registered job-seekers at the ETC, a selected number of occupations are listed to be either in shortage, balance or surplus.

Unless there are no major shocks in the international or national economy, employers tend to maintain the expected demand levels. For instance, in the last Employment Barometer, employers recruited a little bit more than expected - 1,354 instead of the predicted 1,260.

Employers expect an overall increse of two per cent in the number of full-time and part-time employees up to the end of next month. The majority of employers interviewed (65.9 per cent) expect that until next month there will be no change in their level of demand for products or services.

However, 23.5 per cent expect an increase in their demand, while 11.7 per cent expect a decrease in demand. Around 77.4 per cent of employers interviewed claim they did not face any particular skill shortage or recruitment problems since November last year.

Up to next month, the most requested full-time jobs (ranked by demand frequency) include unskilled labourers, clerks, accountants, driver/operator crane, plumbers and pipe fitters, mechanical technicians, sales representatives, machine operators and assemblers, waiters and supermarket stackers.

Part-time jobs in demand include waiters, animators, cleaners, teaching professionals, room attendants, clerks, skilled labourers, chefs and kitchen hands.

Employers demand that prospective candidates for these jobs have a balanced mix of basic and soft skills, as well as sound academic qualifications.

Mr Camilleri is information manager Labour Market, at the ETC