Women are taking up almost twice as many job vacancies as men, according to the latest statistics.

Female participation in the labour market rose by 2,100 between March last year and this year, while for men the increase was of 1,221.

The figures are from the Labour Force Survey, published by the National Statistics Office. They show that women are slowly gaining ground in the job market.

An increase in the number of working women has been a government target for several years, as Malta still lags the rest of EU member states in this area.

A number of measures, such as tax incentives and free child care, have been put in place over the years to encourage more women to go out and work.

The statistics still show a significant disparity between the sexes in the job market, which was made up of 63 per cent men and 37 per cent women.

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