Full-time employment increased by 4.0 per cent in February while part-time employment as a primary job increased by 5.6 per cent when compared to February last year, the NSO said today.

The labour supply (excluding part-timers) increased by 2.9 per cent, reaching 179,711. This was mainly attributed to an increase in the full-time gainfully occupied population (6,765) and a drop in unemployment (1,679).

Registered full-time employment
In February 2016, arts, entertainment and recreation and administrative and
support service activities contributed mostly to the increase in employment,
when compared to the previous year.

Full-time employment in the private sector went up by 6,274 persons to 130,815. Public sector full-time employment increased by 491 persons to 44,385.
The number of persons registered as full-time self-employed rose by 420 when compared to February 2015.

Full-time employment for men and women went up by 2.8 per cent and 6.1 per
cent respectively over 2015 levels.

Part-time employment
Registered part-time employment in February 2016 went up by 6.0 per cent when compared to a year earlier. The sectors that contributed most to the overall increase were accommodation and food service activities , wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles  and professional, scientific
and technical activities.

The number of part-timers who also held a full-time job amounted to 24,171 up by 6.7 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2015. Employed persons whose part-time job was their primary occupation totalled 34,509, up by 5.6 per cent or 1,816 persons when compared to 2015.