Unemployment soaring: some facts and figures

The unemployment rate last August stood at 5.5 per cent, compared to 5.1 per cent in August 2002, recent figures issued by the National Statistics Office revealed.

And figures issued by the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) show that there were 8,277 people registering for work in November. This included 6,544 males and 1,733 females and represented an increase of 411 over November 2002.

Both employers and unions have been quite vociferous about the high rise in unemployment, which is probably the direct result of the slowdown in the local and worldwide economies.

In December 1997 the total number of people claiming they were unemployed stood at 7,693. Of these, 6,475 were males while the rest were females. In the same month the following year there were 7,910 people registering as unemployed while in 1999 the number continued to climb to 8,306.

In 2000 the number of unemployed dropped by over 1,100 to 7,188. Of these, 6,142 were males while 1,046 were females. Since then, the number of unemployed continued to rise but did not reach the 1999 figure. In 2001 the number of unemployed as of December stood at 7,433 while the following year this figure increased slightly to 7,516.

The average unemployment rate last July stood at 5.4 per cent of the labour supply. This figure translates into 5.9 per cent for men and 4.1 per cent for women. With only a few months left for Malta to officially become a member of the European Union, several local organisations have expressed their concern about the rate of unemployment in Malta, especially among young people.

It is interesting to note that while unemployment is increasing, the employment level is also on the increase. Latest figures available from ETC for last September indicate an increase of 84 in the labour supply in comparison to the same month the previous year.

However, when comparing the full-time gainfully occupied population for this month to the same month the previous year, one can see a decrease of 338. Figures show that there were 136,602 full-time gainfully occupied persons last September.

When analysing statistics for last August, one immediately notices that the largest number of people on the unemployment list are in the 30 to 44 age bracket. In this age bracket, the total number of males and females registering for work reached 2,429.

This age bracket is followed by those aged over 45 with a total of 1,948 registering for work. A total of 1,172 people on the unemployment list are between 20 and 24 years old, followed by 976 who are under 20 and finally 881 who are between 25 and 29 years old.

A closer look at the sexes reveals that the largest number of males registering as unemployed is between 30 and 44 years old. The same cannot be said for females, because the largest number of females registering for work falls in the age bracket of those who are below the age of 20 - four years after the official school-leaving age.

Figures for September showed that the private direct production sector decreased its employment by 1,126 in comparison with September 2002. On the other hand, the private market services sector (including wholesale and retail, banking, insurance, transport and communications as well as hotels and catering) increased its labour force by 1,511 in comparison with the same month the previous year.

The total number of people working in this sector stood at 50,059, of which 33,264 were males and 16,795 were females. The majority of those employed in this sector worked in the wholesale and retail sub-sectors, with a total of 15,861 employees.

Last September the public sector (including government departments and government entities, the Armed Forces of Malta and other independent bodies) decreased its labour force by 660 people and this now stands at 46,992. Of these, 33,335 are males and 13,657 are females and 30,069 of the 46,992 working in the public sector worked in government departments (19,703 males and 10,366 females).

Also in last September, there were 7,942 people registering for work with ETC. This reflected an increase of 422 people on the unemployment registers in this month compared to the same month the previous year. The unemployment rate for last September stood at 5.5 per cent, unchanged from the preceding month in 2003.

The situation in Gozo

According to recent news, unemployment in Gozo rose by 22 per cent up to last November. Figures issued by the ETC show that there were 606 people registering for employment in Gozo last November, an increase of 110 over the previous year. These figures also showed that the number of unemployed Gozitans under 30 made up 55 per cent of the jobless. This figure rose from 29 per cent.

Meanwhile, in August, the ETC Law Compliance Unit carried out a number of inspections in Gozo. Here they visited 97 establishments, mostly restaurants and hotels, and found a total of 536 people working there.

Following interviews, it transpired that 235 were working but had not informed ETC of their job, 10 were working although they were registering for work with ETC and, interestingly, four were children under the legal working age.

As a result, ETC has introduced a new service - free phone 8007-6501 - for those wanting to file a report on people who are registering for employment but are working, underage working people and other similar offences.

CSB Recruitment Agency has been supporting the local business community with its services since 1987. For further information you can write to CSB at Vincenti Buildings, 14/19 Strait Street, Valletta VLT 08, or call them on 2122-5800 or 2124-6543, fax: 2123-0520, e-mail: jobs@vacancycentre.com, or visit www.VacancyCentre.com.
Copyright 2003, Commercial Services Bureau (CSB) Ltd.