The number of people living off social benefits has gone down by 47.8 per cent since 2012, Family and Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia announced this morning.

While five years ago the total number of people receiving social benefits stood at 17,727 people this went down to some 9,250 individuals by March this year.

Mr Farrugia said that two out of every three of these were women. He attributed the drop in figures to a series of efforts by the government to encourage more people to enter the workforce.

This, he said, included free childcare and tapering of benefits so as not to immediately cut off those who were living off social benefits and were reluctant to get a job because they feared they would lose their benefits. 

The minister explained that fewer people were receiving social assistance, assistance for single parents and unemployment benefit, while those receiving tapered benefits were increasing.