A substantial increase in the number of gainfully occupied people - 3,677, was registered in the last three months of last year, when compared with the same period in 2007, the National Statistics Office, quoting from the Labour Force Survey, said.
It said that the number of employed people in the fourth quarter of 2008 was estimated at 160,526, implying a statistically significant change when compared with the corresponding period in 2007.
The number of unemployed people was estimated at 10,790, whereas the number of inactive people amounted to 175,757.
During the period under review, 58.6 percent of people aged between 15 and 64 were either working or unemployed. The highest activity rates among males were recorded in the 25 to 54 age bracket, whereas the highest rates among females were in the 15 to 24 age group.
Of all employed males, 17.2 percent were engaged in manufacturing activities, followed by 16 percent in wholesale and retail trade.
Most of the employed female population were engaged in education-related activities (16.4 percent), with an additional 14.9 percent employed in wholesale and retail trade.
In terms of professional status, the number of self-employed during the fourth quarter of 2008 were estimated to make up 15 percent of employed persons.
The number of full-time employed was estimated at 88.7 percent of total employed persons. Females were more likely to have a part-time job or a full-time job with reduced hours, when compared to males and in this regard, 26.5 percent of employed females had such working conditions.
The average gross annual salary of employees for the period under review was estimated to be €13,754. This amount was equivalent to the basic salary and excluded extra payments such as overtime, bonuses and allowances.
In terms of occupation, the highest average salary for employees was within the legislators, senior officials and managerial category, whereas the financial intermediation sector recorded the highest average gross annual salary across all economic activities.
Between the fourth quarter of 2007 and 2008 the change in the number of unemployed persons was not a statistically significant one.
The majority of unemployed were aged between 15-24. The majority of unemployed females had been looking for a job for less than five months, whereas most unemployed males had been seeking employment for 12 months and over. The unemployment rate for the period under review stood at 6.3 percent.