Labour Force Survey estimates 2.5% increase in employment - NSO

● Annual basic salary of employees in Q2 was €18,064

In the second quarter of 2017 Labour Force Survey estimates indicate an increase of 2.5 per cent in employment compared to the corresponding quarter of 2016, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

The Labour Force Survey estimates indicate that during the second quarter total employment stood at 197,188, accounting to more than half the population aged 15 and over. Unemployed persons stood at 8,485 (2.3 per cent) while inactive persons totalled 163,869 (44.3 per cent). The activity rate for the quarter under review was estimated at 69.9 per cent, with the highest rate recorded among those aged 25-54 (83.3 per cent).

On average, 67 out of every 100 persons aged between 15 to 64 were employed. The male employment rate for this age bracket was 78.9 per cent, while that for females stood at 54.4 per cent.

Self-employed persons accounted for 14 per cent of all persons with a main job. The majority worked on a full-time basis, totalling 168,772, and 28,416 had a part-time job as their primary employment. Results show that on average full-timers worked 41.6 hours while part-timers worked 22.7 hours per week.

The average annual basic salary of employees for the second quarter of 2017 was estimated at €18,064.

The highest basic salary was recorded in the Financial and Insurance Service sector.

Average annual salaries varied from €29,232 among managers to €11,807 among persons employed in elementary occupations.

The unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2017 stood at 4.1 per cent. Males made up 58.1 per cent of the unemployed population. Among the unemployed, 57 per cent stated that they had been seeking work for less than 12 months. The main reason for inactivity relates to persons reaching retirement age or taking up early retirement (40.3 per cent).

According to the Labour Force Survey, 56.5 per cent of those 15 and over have attained a low level of education. This comprises those with less than five O levels or equivalent qualifications. Among the employed population 26 per cent had a tertiary level education.