In reaction to the first ever published data by the National Statistics Office today regarding the number of jobs created in Gozo, the Government has said in a statement that it "complements existing statistics on employment among Gozitan residents and shows that, in the first three years of this administration, the number of Gozitan residents working full-time increased by 1,351."
It added that, "this means that during this legislature, there was an increase of about nine full-time jobs per week, which is twice the increase observed in the latter part of the previous legislature."
"The new statistics now indicate that a large part of this increase was in Gozo. In the first three years of this administration, the amount of full-time jobs increased by 1,090 in Gozo, which means, an increase of seven full-time jobs in Gozo each week. In contrast, in the previous legislature, there was an increase of less than two jobs every week," the Government said.
"This is the best confirmation that the Government is carrying out the electoral promise to create jobs in Gozo for Gozitans. While the last two years of the previous legislature created 165 full-time jobs in Gozo, in the first three years of this Government created 1,090 jobs, or nearly seven times as many," it said.
The Government stated that the majority of these new jobs were with the private sector. "So much so that the proportion of people living in Gozo who work within the private sector rose from 54% in 2010 to 55% in 2015. Looking at employment in Gozo, 58% were with the private sector in 2010, this has now risen to 59%."
According the Government, among the sectors that have created the most new jobs in Gozo during this legislature, are shops and hotels, adding nearly 300 full-time positions or 9%, as well as the sectors of professional and technical services, an increase of nearly 280 full-time positions or 62%. There was also an increase of almost 90 in the information and communication sector, an area in which jobs in Gozo have doubled in the past three years, it said.
"After years of decline in employment, in the last three years there has been an increase of nearly 40 jobs in manufacturing. The same growth is also seen the field of leisure services, where in the last three years there has been an increase of 80 jobs."
"This is confirmation that Gozo is benefiting from growth in national wealth," the Government said. "Gozo in the coming years will benefit from the effects of two of the largest foreign direct investments ever to come to this island: the Barts Medical School Project and the establishment of the company RS2."
The statement concluded by saying that "in Budget 2017, the Government announced an investment of nearly € 20 million in projects for the second fibre optic cable as well as new digital and commercial hubs. Along with the project for a permanent link between the two islands, this work will mean the creation of many more jobs in Gozo for Gozitans."
File photograph: MGOZ/George Scerri – RS2 inauguration August 2015