Youth unemployment rises by almost 700 year-on-year, reaching 9.7% in August

Malta’s youth unemployment rate reached 9.7 per cent in August 2026, with 2,714 people aged between 15 and 24 classified as unemployed — an increase of almost 700 compared with the same month last year.

The unemployment rate among people aged 25 to 74 stood at 2.9 per cent, considerably below the rate recorded among younger people, according to figures published by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The latest monthly data shows that unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 remains significantly higher than among older workers. Young people accounted for 22.7 per cent of Malta’s total unemployed population in August.

Overall, Malta’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.4 per cent in August 2026, up from 2.5 per cent in August 2025.

The total number of unemployed people reached 11,973 in August, compared with 11,921 in July.

People aged between 25 and 74 accounted for 9,259 unemployed people, representing 77.3 per cent of the total, while those aged 15 to 24 accounted for the remaining 22.7 per cent.

The overall unemployment rate stood at 3.5 per cent among males and 3.3 per cent among females.

Compared with July 2026, the male unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points, while the female unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points.

This statistic continues to show that year-on-year unemployment is increasing and, according to economist Professor Philip von Brockdorff, such an increase, especially among youths, can be due to "low levels of qualifications and skills."

The NSO’s monthly unemployment estimates combine Jobsplus administrative data on employment and unemployment with quarterly Labour Force Survey data.