Gainfully occupied up by 3,677

A substantial increase in the number of gainfully occupied people, 3,677, was registered in the last three months of 2008 when compared with the same period in 2007, according to the National Statistics Office.

Quoting from the labour force survey, the NSO said the number of employed people in the fourth quarter of 2008 stood at 160,526, implying a "statistically significant" change compared to the same period in 2007.

The number of unemployed was estimated at 10,790, with 175,757 inactive people.

In the period under review, 58.6 per cent of those aged 15 to 64 were working or unemployed. The highest activity rates in the case of males were recorded among those aged 25 to 54 and in the 15 to 24 age bracket for women.

Of all the employed males, 17.2 per cent were engaged in manufacturing followed by 16 per cent in wholesale and retail trade. Most of the employed women were engaged in education-related activities (16.4 per cent), with an additional 14.9 per cent engaged in wholesale and retail trade.

The number of self-employed in the fourth quarter of 2008 was estimated to make up 15 per cent of employed people.

The number of full-timers stood at 88.7 per cent. Females were more likely to have a part-time job or a full-time job with reduced hours (26.5 per cent) when compared to males.

The average gross annual salary of employees for the period under review was estimated at €13,754. This amount was equivalent to the basic salary and excluded extra payments such as overtime, bonuses and allowances.

Legislators, senior officials and managerial category had the highest average salary while those working in the financial intermediation sector recorded the highest average gross annual salary across all jobs.

Between the fourth quarter of 2007 and 2008 the change in the number of unemployed persons was not statistically significant.

The majority of unemployed were aged 15-24. The majority of unemployed women had been looking for a job for under five months while most unemployed males had been seeking employment for 12 months and over.

The unemployment rate for the period under review stood at 6.3 per cent.