Malta’s job market is showing vigorous signs of growth, with new data revealing a notable 13 per cent year-on-year increase in job vacancies during the second quarter of 2025. The number of open positions reached 9,158, highlighting strong demand for talent across multiple sectors of the economy.

The latest figures, released as part of the quarterly Job Vacancy Survey (JVS), provide a compelling snapshot of labour market trends, illustrating where opportunities are expanding and where they’re tightening.

Which sectors are hiring the most?

More than half of all job openings came from two key segments:

– Wholesale and retail trade, transportation, storage, accommodation, and food services

– Professional, scientific, technical, administration, and support service activities

The biggest year-on-year growth was observed in public administration, defence, education, human health, and social work activities, which added 579 vacancies – a remarkable increase that brought the sector’s total to 1,232 open roles.

Following closely were the professional, scientific, and technical services, which saw an increase of 256 vacancies.

On the other end of the spectrum, the information and communication sector saw the most significant decline, with 191 fewer openings compared to the same period last year. The real estate sector also remained subdued, accounting for just one per cent of all vacancies.

An interesting trend emerged when examining company size: small enterprises (1-49 employees) accounted for nearly half of all job vacancies, underscoring their critical role in Malta’s economic ecosystem.

In contrast, larger firms – those with 250 employees or more contributed around 24 per cent of vacancies. This inverse relationship suggests that smaller, agile companies are driving much of the current job creation.

The total number of occupied posts in Malta now stands at 274,247, with the majority concentrated in:

– Public administration, defence, education, health, and social work

– Wholesale, retail, transportation, and hospitality

These sectors also saw healthy annual growth rates of five per cent and two per cent, respectively.

The private sector continues to dominate Malta’s job market, making up 79 per cent of all occupied posts (216,924 jobs), while the public sector accounts for the remaining 20 per cent (57,323 jobs).

The overall job vacancy rate – the proportion of unfilled posts – now stands at three per cent, up just 0.2 percentage points from both the previous quarter and the same period in 2024.

The highest vacancy rate was found in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors (five per cent), indicating strong expansion or turnover in these fields. Meanwhile, the public administration, health, and education sector recorded the lowest rate, at just one per cent.

Small enterprises again stood out, with a vacancy rate of four per cent, compared to two per cent in large enterprises. The private sector’s vacancy rate was three per cent, while the public sector stood at one per cent.

For job seekers, these figures signal a favourable landscape with growing opportunities, especially in high-demand fields like healthcare, education, public administration, and professional services.

Employers, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, may need to sharpen their recruitment strategies to attract talent in a competitive market. Sectors like ICT and real estate, however, may be experiencing a slowdown in hiring momentum.