Public sector employment falls

The number of full-time gainfully occupied persons dropped by 1,757 over a period of 12 months, from February 2003 to end January 2004, the National Statistics Office said.

Last February, an increase of 142 persons in the number of full-time gainfully occupied was indicated by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC).

In the month under review, employment in the private direct production sector increased by 90 persons in comparison with January 2004. In relation to the same month in the previous year, the number of the full-time gainfully occupied in the production sector decreased by 1,551 persons, the NSO said.

The private market services sector increased its employment levels by 118 persons in February 2004 in comparison to January 2004 and there was an increase of 482 persons employed in the private market services sector on a year-to-year basis.

In February 2004, hotels and catering establishments increased the number of full-time employees by 24 and activities in the wholesale and retail trade added 48 persons in full-time employment over the previous month.

In February this year, the public sector decreased the number of employees on its books by 67. On a year-to-year basis, however, the public sector shed 605 employees.

As regards part-time employment, in February 2004, the administrative records of the ETC indicated there were 18,696 persons holding a part-time job as their primary occupation. In February 2004, 15,304 persons were holding a part-time job in addition to their full-time employment.

A total of 4,092 persons, whose part-time employment is their primary occupation, work in hotels and catering establishments and 3,032 persons, whose part-time employment is their primary occupation, work in the wholesale and retail trade. Government departments employ 1,700 part-timers whose part-time job is their primary occupation.

Last January, there were 8,830 registered unemployed with the ETC. Of these, 6,971 were men and 1,859 were women.

The registered unemployment rate stood at 6.1 per cent of the labour supply.