Finance Minister Edward Scicluna this evening blamed a change made by the National Statistics Office in the method of its data collection for distorting the employment situation in a way which showed a sharp increase in the public sector and a decrease of jobs in the construction industry.

Addressing a public consultation meeting in preparation of next year's budget, Prof. Scicluna said that for some reason, under PN governments, the NSO used to classify some 2,800 civil servants in the resources ministry under the construction industry. However these employees were now being classified as part of the government administration, and hence the increase in the public sector. 

"Unfortunately the NSO is not giving a true and clear picture of the situation," the finance minister said. He also remarked that construction sites were mushrooming all over the island even though official data said otherwise.  

Touching on the health sector which he described as a "bottomless pit" he said that the government want to bring about a series of reforms. He described as scandalous that the cost of medicines for the government was double the real value, questioning the procurement process. 

On pensions, he said that the government was in talks with the World Bank to re-evaluate the current projections and draft a new model, till 2060, as the economic reality was not what was projected some years ago. For example, he said, the population had not continued to decrease but had stabilised and increased slightly. And economic growth was not 1% but 3%. 

These changed parameters would make it easier to sustain pensions, more so when the number of gainfully occupied continued to grow such as by greater female participation. It would not make sense to start considering a further increase the retirement age, in this context, the minister said.