There were 162,954 people in employment between July and September last year, a "statistically significant change" over the same period in 2007 when the figure stood at 157,667, according to the National Statistics Office.

The NSO estimated that 10,113 people remain unemployed, mostly aged between 15 and 24, and another 172,672 are considered to be "inactive".

The highest activity rates of males was recorded in the 25 to 54 age bracket and there were mostly women aged between 15 to 24 in the working world. Meanwhile, 18.4 per cent of males were engaged in manufacturing activities and 15.7 per cent were active in the wholesale and retail trade. On the other hand, 16.3 per cent of females were partaking in education-related activities and 14.3 per cent were employ-ed in the wholesale and retail trade.

The NSO said the self-employed made up 13.7 per cent of employed people. Moreover, 88.2 per cent of employed people worked on a full-time basis.