For the second quarter 2008, the Labour Force Survey showed that there was a statistically significant change in the average employment over the previous year.

The Labour Force Survey is an enquiry which is carried out using a random sample of 3,200 private households per quarter. The criteria used for this survey are on the same lines as international methodologies used by ILO as further explained in the methodological notes. All data contained within this release refers to persons 15 years and over.

As from 2008, the weighting procedures are based on 2007 population estimates, which are calculated using the Census of Population and Housing 2005 as a benchmark. The first quarter 2007 estimates were revised accordingly to reflect the above methodology and therefore, are not to be compared to previous data that were worked out using the 1995 Census as a benchmark.

Labour Status

Out of all persons aged 15 years and over the number of employed persons reached 159,875 persons which is a statistically significant change over the same period in 2007. The total unemployed stood at 10,254 persons whilst a further 174,619 persons were inactive. In the period April to June 2008, out of every 100 persons between the age of 15 and 64, 58.8 per cent were either working or unemployed (activity rate). The employment rate as illustrated in Table 4 stood at 55.2 per cent. The employment rate for males was 71.6 per cent whilst that of females stood at 38.5 per cent. The employment gender gap was 33.1 per cent.

The Employed Population

The distribution of employed persons by age groups reveals that the majority were between 25 to 34 years.

For the period under review, the majority of the total employed or 15.7 per cent worked in the wholesale and retail trade; repairs sector, followed by 14.7 per cent that worked in the manufacturing sector. For the period April to June 2008, the most common occupations were amongst technicians and associate professionals. This category includes jobs such as technicians, nursing and administrative posts.

Self employed made up 12.8 per cent of the total number of employed persons. There was a significant increase in the total number of employees for the second quarter 2008, when compared to the same period last year. The average gross annual salary of employees was estimated at €13,396 per annum.

Regarding the total number of employed classified by type of employment. For the second quarter 2008, the number of full timers amounted to 141,122 persons. Out of every 100 full time employed persons 71 were males and 29 were females. Moreover, the number of part timers reached 15,155 persons, of which 30 per cent were males and 69 per cent were females.

The Unemployed Population

The total number of unemployed persons reached 10,254, which indicates no significant changes during the survey period when compared to 2007 estimates. Out of every 100 persons in the labour force, 6 persons were unemployed. Addtionally, the majority of the unemployed were in the 15 to 24 age bracket irrespective of gender. Out of all persons in the labour force aged between 15 and 24 years, 12.9 per cent were unemployed.