Large enterprises generated one-fifth of all Maltese job vacancies between January and March

Companies with 250 or more employees generated one-fifth (20.6 per cent) of all job postings in Malta during the first three months of the year, a slightly larger share than during the same period of the previous year (19.5 per cent).

On the other hand, the share of vacancies in small companies (<50 employees) fell from 59.1 per cent to 42.3 per cent, while those in medium-sized firms (between 50 and 249 employees) increased from 21.4 per cent to 37.1 per cent.

The findings emerge from the Job Vacancy Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office.

A look at the job vacancy rate shows that medium-sized enterprises had a higher job vacancy rate of 4.5 per cent, suggesting a greater demand for labour in this segment.

Large enterprises meanwhile exhibited a lower rate of job vacancies at 1.7 per cent, despite comprising 38.7 per cent of all occupied posts.

Units with 50 to 249 employees made up just above one fourth of all occupied posts.

Just over one fourth of these posts were recorded in the wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities. In this regard, over a period of one year, this category of economic activities registered a growth of 3.7 per cent.

A further 65,705 occupied posts were estimated to be in the public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities sector, making up 24.9 per cent of the total number of occupied posts.

The job vacancy rate was highest within the information and communication sector (6.1 per cent) whilst the manufacturing, mining and quarrying and other industry registered the lowest rate of job vacancies (2.2 per cent).

Overall, there was a marked increase in the number of job vacancies posted during the first three months of 2024 when compared to the same period of the previous year.

The survey found that in the first quarter of 2024, the number of job vacancies stood at 8,694, an increase of 27.9 per cent over the same period in 2023.

The private sector was responsible for the lion’s share, representing 84.8 per cent of all vacancies. The rest (15.2 per cent) were jobs offered in the public sector.

Over three-quarters (75.2 per cent) of all job vacancies were in a relatively small number of broad sectors.

The wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, and accommodation and food service activities sector generated 23.6 per cent of all vacancies during the first quarter of 2024. However, this represents 201 vacancies fewer than a year prior, representing a steep drop of 9.5 percentage points over its share in the first months of 2023.

Professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities had the second highest number of vacancies, representing 22.8 per cent of the total which saw an increase of 708 vacancies.

The sector with the third-largest share of job openings was public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities. This sector also saw the highest year-on-year increase with an addition of 1,144 vacancies.