More than three-quarters of managers in Malta are men, the highest in Europe, according to a European agency.

Figures just released by Eurofound show that 77 per cent of managerial positions in Malta are occupied by men, 10 per cent more than the EU average.

Malta still has the lowest female participation rate, it noted, with women making up just 37 per cent of the labour force.

Last March, the European Commission had raised concern over the level of female participation, urging the government to increase incentives for women in the workplace.

Although the survey of 1,000 Maltese men and women found that most managers were men, professionals were split evenly with 52 per cent being male.

The same was true for technicians and associated professionals and service and sales workers.

Clerical workers and secretaries, on the other hand, were the only jobs where women were more likely to be employed. In fact, about 58 per cent of Maltese clerks were women. This, however, was still 10 per cent below the EU average, where women strongly outweigh men in clerical jobs.

Clerical workers and secretaries were the only jobs where women were more likely

The employment divide was most obvious in manual labour-based employment. In fact, 90 per cent of Maltese farmers and fishermen are men, a third more than the EU average. This is also the case among tradesmen, with just two per cent being women.

Factories, on the other hand, remain a man’s world, with three-quarters of employees being male. This, however, is 10 per cent below the rest of the 27 member states.

Despite the various employment differences, Malta remains one of the best performers in terms of wage gaps. Malta has the third lowest wage difference between men and women.