Three-quarters of women aged 15-64 are in work – NSO

Malta’s labour market is experiencing an interesting shift, with women making up an increasingly significant share of the workforce.

According to fresh data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), female participation among those aged 15 to 64 has climbed to 74.1 per cent.

The figures, covering the first quarter of 2025, show a 2.9 percentage point increase in women’s workforce participation compared to the same period in 2024. In contrast, male participation registered a more modest rise of 1.2 percentage points, reaching 84.4 per cent.

Individuals aged 25 to 34 represented the highest proportion of employed persons across both genders.

Self-employment accounted for 13.6 per cent of the working population. The vast majority – 290,759 individuals – were engaged in full-time work, while 36,884 reported part-time employment as their primary occupation.

The number of self-employed women without employees increased notably, reaching 11,483 in the first quarter of 2025, a rise of 1,578 compared to the same period in 2024. However, data for self-employed women with employees was not published, as the sample size was deemed statistically unreliable, containing fewer than 20 observations.

In contrast, the number of self-employed men without employees saw a slight decline, falling from 21,762 in Q1 2024 to 21,727. A similar downward trend was observed among male self-employed individuals with employees, decreasing from 9,574 to 9,072.

The labour force grew by 4.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 327,643 individuals. This represents 65.8 per cent of the population aged 15 and over.

Meanwhile, 32.3 per cent of individuals in this age group – amounting to 160,886 people – were classified as inactive, meaning they were not classified as employed or unemployed. The number of unemployed persons stood at 9,054, equivalent to 1.8 per cent of the population.

In the first quarter of 2025, the unemployment rate stood at 2.7 per cent. Women made up 57.6 per cent of the total inactive population, with the largest share being those aged over 65. The primary reason cited for inactivity among this group was retirement or early retirement, accounting for 43.1 per cent.

The highest activity rate between January and March, meaning the labour force as a percentage of the population of working age (15-64 years), was estimated at 82.7 per cent, with people aged 25 to 54 recording the highest rate at 91.7 per cent.

When it comes to educational attainment, nearly 40 per cent of individuals aged 15 and over had achieved a secondary level of education or less. Among those in employment, 38.2 per cent held a tertiary-level qualification.

Labour market data for Q1 2025 reveals that, on average, 80 out of every 100 individuals aged 15 to 64 were in employment. The employment rate stood at 85.6 per cent for men and 74.1 per cent for women, with the highest concentration of employed persons found in the 25 to 34 age group for both genders.

In terms of working hours, full-timers clocked an average of 41.3 hours per week, compared to 22.7 hours for part-timers. Overall, the average number of hours actually worked stood at 35.5 per week, an increase of 1.3 hours compared to the same period in 2024.

The average monthly basic salary for Q1 2025 was estimated at €2,063, with employees in the financial and insurance sector earning the highest average wages across all industries.

Salaries varied significantly by occupation. Workers in elementary roles earned an average of €1,293 per month, while managers took home €3,217, nearly €1,200 more than the average monthly basic salary.