17,000 workers are self-employed

There were 17,000 self-employed persons in Malta at the end of 2005, about 17 per cent of all the gainfully occupied, which is one per cent higher than the EU average, according to new statistics released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical arm.

Of these, only 2,000 were female, representing seven per cent of all women currently in employment. The number of male self-employed reached 20.2 per cent of the entire male workforce with 15,000 men in self-employed activities.

Among the member states, the highest rates of self-employment in 2005 were registered in Greece (32 per cent of employment), Italy (29 per cent), Cyprus (24 per cent) and Portugal (21 per cent), while the lowest rates were recorded in Latvia (seven per cent), Estonia (8 per cent), Denmark, Lithuania and Slovenia (all nine per cent).

In Europe, the highest rates of self-employment were recorded for the construction industry (25 per cent), business related services (23 per cent), distributive trades (20 per cent) and hotels and restaurants (19 per cent), compared to eight per cent in the manufacturing industry and 11 per cent in transport, storage and communication.

According to Eurostat, small business remained the backbone of the EU economy, with 30 per cent of the entire workforce employed in small micro businesses employing less than 10 people.