The number of people registered as employed on a full-time basis in July increased by 1.9 per cent when compared to the corresponding month last year.

The NSO said that according to administrative data provided by the Employment and Training Corporation, people employed on a full-time basis in July numbered 149,622 - an increase of 1.9 per cent when compared to the corresponding period last year.

The total number of registered unemployed went down by 4.7 per cent and stood at 6,510.

Full-time employment increased by 2,721 when compared to July last year. The biggest increases were recorded in health and social work and in real estate, renting and business activities, which rose by eight per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively.

Employment in construction and wholesale and retail trade dropped by 115 and 89 individuals, respectively.

The proportion of full-time employment within the private sector amounted to 72.5 per cent of total full-time employment. An increase of 1.9 per cent was registered in people working on a full-time basis in the private sector over 2010 levels.

The biggest employment shares within this sector were in wholesale and retail trade and in manufacturing.

People working on a full-time basis in the public sector numbered 41,215, a rise of 1.7 per cent over the comparative period last year. The main increases were recorded in health and social work - 9.5 per cent and in education - 3.3 per cent.

Construction showed a decline of 167 workers.

In comparison with July 2010, full-time self-employment decreased to 17,479, whereas the number of employees working on a full-time basis went up by 2.2 per cent to 132,143.

In the period under review, an increase in female employment of 2,417 people was recorded.

In July, part-time employment went up by 3.6 per cent over the preceding year, reaching a total of 54,101.

The number of part-timers who also hold a full-time job rose by 5.3 per cent, mainly attributable to an increase in male employment. Female part-timers who also hold a full-time job registered a rise of 8.8 per cent.

The number of persons whose part-time work is their primary job went up by 2.4 per cent, the majority being females.