The National Statistics Office have said that during the fourth quarter last year, the Labour Force Survey showed that there was a statistically significant increase in employment over the previous year.

Labour Status

During the fourth quarter of 2008 the number of employed persons was estimated at 160,526, which implies a statistically significant change when compared with the corresponding period in 2007. The number of unemployed persons was estimated to be 10,790, whereas the number of inactive persons amounted to 175,757.

During the period under review, 58.6 per cent of persons between the age of 15 and 64 were either working or unemployed. Amongst males, the highest activity rates were recorded in the 25 to 54 age bracket, whereas amongst females the highest rates were in the 15 to 24 age group.

The Employed Population

Of all employed males, 17.2 per cent were engaged in manufacturing activities, followed by 16.0 per cent in wholesale and retail trade. By contrast, most of the employed female population were engaged in education-related activities (16.4 per cent), with an additional 14.9 per cent employed in wholesale and retail trade.

Employed persons are mostly engaged within service-oriented jobs. This category includes personal and protective services workers and salespersons.

In terms of professional status, the number of self-employed during the fourth quarter of 2008 were estimated to make up 15.0 per cent of employed persons. The number of full-time employed was estimated at 88.7 per cent of total employed persons. More females were likely to have a part-time job or a full-time job with reduced hours, when compared to males and in this regard, 26.5 per cent of employed females had such working conditions.

The average gross annual salary of employees for the period under review was estimated to be €13,754. This amount is the equivalent of the basic salary and excludes extra payments such as overtime, bonuses and allowances, as explained in the methodological notes. In terms of occupation, the highest average salary for employees was within the legislators, senior officials and managerial category, whereas the financial intermediation sector recorded the highest average gross annual salary across all economic activities.

The Unemployed Population

Between the fourth quarter of 2007 and 2008 the change in the number of unemployed persons was not a statistically significant one. The majority of unemployed were aged between 15-24. The majority of unemployed females had been looking for a job for less than 5 months, whereas most unemployed males had been seeking employment for 12 months and over.

The unemployment rate for the period under review stood at 6.3 per cent

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