In the second quarter of 2025, the number of job vacancies stood at 9,158, an increase of 13.2 per cent over the same period in 2024.
This news release presents the findings of the Job Vacancy Survey (JVS), a quarterly enterprise-based enquiry that provides insights into the demand for labour by gauging the number of vacancies and occupied posts.
Job Vacancies
In the second quarter of 2025, there were a total of 9,158 vacancies within enterprises employing one or more persons, registering an increase of 13.2 per cent over the same period in 2024.
The wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services activities along with the professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities, generated more than half of all vacancies during the second quarter of 2025. On the other hand, the real estate activities sector recorded the lowest number of job vacancies, standing at 1.0 per cent of the total number of calls for application in Q2 2025.
Public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities recorded the highest year-on-year increase in the number of vacancies, with an addition of 579 vacancies totalling to 1,232 vacancies. This was followed by the professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities, which saw an increase of 256 vacancies. On the contrary, information and communication activities, experienced the largest drop when compared to the second quarter of 2024, with a reduction of 191 vacancies.
Data also shows an inverse relationship between enterprise size and number of job vacancies. In this regard, small enterprises (1 to 49 employees) contributed to nearly half of the vacancies whereas companies with 250 employees or more generated 24.3 per cent of all vacancies of the second quarter of 2025.
In the private sector, job vacancies increased by 745 between the second quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025, totalling to 8,456, whereas within the public sector, the total for the same period stood at 702. As Chart 4 illustrates, the private sector continues to dominate the job vacancy market, representing 92.3 per cent of all vacancies, leaving the public sector with a 7.7 per cent share.
During the second quarter of 2025, the total number of occupied posts within enterprises employing one or more employees stood at 274,247. Over one half of these posts were recorded in public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities and in the wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities. Over a period of one year, these economic activities registered a growth of 4.9 and 2.1 per cent respectively. During the second quarter of 2025, 39.2 per cent of occupied posts were estimated to be in enterprises employing 250 employees or more. Units with 50 to 249 employees made up more than one fourth of all occupied posts.
Occupied posts within the private sector stood at 216,924, garnering 79.1 per cent of the total amount of jobs. The public sector totalled 57,323, making up the remaining 20.9 per cent.
Job Vacancy Rate
In the second quarter of 2025, 3.2 per cent of jobs in Malta were vacant, increasing by 0.2 percentage points when compared to both the preceding quarter and the second quarter of 2024. The job vacancy rate was highest within the arts, entertainment and recreation; other services activities (4.6 per cent) whilst the public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities registered the lowest rate of job vacancies (1.7 per cent).
Small enterprises, with 1 to 49 employees, showed a higher job vacancy rate of 4.3 per cent, suggesting a greater demand for labour in this segment. Large enterprises, comprising 250 or more employees, exhibited a lower rate of job vacancies at 2.0 per cent.
The private sector registered a job vacancy rate of 3.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 whereas 1.2 per cent of total jobs in the public sector were vacant during the same period.