The number of people working in Gozo reached a record 14,313 last year, which is an increase of 530 over 2019, the Ministry for Gozo said today. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry said that of the 530, there were 434 who were full-timers with the private sector. “Therefore 8 out of 10 people who found full-time employment in Gozo, started working with the private sector.”

According to the latest data released by the NSO today, in Gozo, those residents with a full-time job in 2020 amounted to 15,864, which was an increase of 3.1% compared to the previous year. It also note that almost two out of three were engaged in the private sector.

The Ministry also said that, Gozitans working full time with the public sector in 2013 were 40% of all Gozitan workers, in 2020 this proportion decreased to only 32%.

The Ministry argued that, “this figure indicates how wrong the Opposition is when it says that jobs in Gozo are only in the public sector.”

“In 2020 there was an increase of 434 full-timers in the private sector.” The Ministry stated that “in contrast, in 2012 there was only an increase of 98, or only 23% of the increase we had in 2020.”

It said that, “this indicates that despite the pandemic, the Gozitan private sector was in a position to create four full-time jobs for every job it was able to create in 2012.”

Among the sectors that increased the most jobs in Gozo in 2020 were those of professional and administrative services (with a growth of 249 jobs), recreational services (with a growth of 33 jobs), construction (with a growth of 35 jobs), and information and communication (with a growth of 28 jobs), the Ministry said.

The NSO has pointed out that, “the quoted figures are based on employed persons (full time + part time as a primary job), as opposed to jobs (full time + part time primary + part time secondary). Also, the economic activity ‘Public administration and defence’, ‘Compulsory social security’, ‘Education’, ‘Human health and social work activities’ had an increase of 175 employed persons from 2019 to 2020, while ‘Wholesale and retail trade’, ‘repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’, ‘transportation and storage’, ‘accomodation and food service activities’ had the third largest increase of 39 employed persons.”

The Ministry for Gozo has also highlighted the fact that, “since 2012, the number of Gozitans working in Gozo itself has increased by almost 4,500 people, or 46%. Those working full-time with the private sector increased by more than 3,600, or 75%, which means that, consistently, 8 out of 10 Gozitans who started working in Gozo were with the private sector.”

“Since the change of administration, there has been an increase every week of 11 Gozitans working in Gozo itself,” the Ministry said. “In contrast, before 2013, there was an increase of less than 2 per week.”

In addition, most of the new jobs were with the private sector, it said. “Looking at jobs on the island of Gozo, one finds that while before the change of government, 58% were with the private sector, now this proportion has risen to 68%,” the Ministry said.

The Gozo Ministry concluded by saying that “in the Budget, the government will continue to work to ensure that Gozo continues to be an economic engine of our country’s new prosperity – economic growth that is more widespread, more sustainable and more dynamic.”

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