The government and the opposition argued on job creation today after the publication of September data by the National Statistics Office.

The NSO said full-time employment in September increased by 2.8 per cent when compared to the corresponding month in 2012.

The labour supply increased by 3.2 per cent, reaching 165,303 as a result to an increase of 4,342 in the full-time gainfully occupied population and an increase of  750 in unemployment.

The biggest increases in employment were in administrative and support services activities and the education sector.

The number of full-time self-employed rose by 215 when compared to September 2012.

During the same period, the number of employees increased by 4,127.

GROWTH IN JOB CREATION

The government said the number of gainfully occupied people increased by 3,547 in the first six months of this administration, compared to an increase of 795 in the last six months of the previous government.

Furthermore four of every five new jobs in the last months of the previous government were created within the public sector. Under the present government, only one in 10 new jobs was in the public sector.

Under the former government, the number of self-employed dropped by 56, while under this government, their number grew by 271.

GROWING UNEMPLOYMENT

The Nationalist Party said that while the number of gainfully occupied had increased, the rate of job creation was not keeping up with the labour supply and thus, unemployment was growing. 

In September, the unemployed increased to 7,619 from 6,869 in September 2012.

Of the new jobs in September, a quarter were in the public sector.

Such figures confirmed that job-creation was not a government priority, the PN said.