Malta

1.Series

Title:

Registered unemployment.

Starting year:

1957.

2.Agency making the initial registrations of unemployed persons

Name of the agency:

Employment and Training Corporation (ETC).

Type of agency:

Public service under local authorities.

Location of the local offices making the registrations:

First-time registrations are made at the ETC Head Office in Hal Far; subsequent weekly registrations at one of the 20 local area offices.

Type of services provided/administered by the agency:

  • Assisting job-seekers to find jobs;
  • Assisting job-seekers to establish their own business;
  • Assisting employers to find workers;
  • Vocational guidance;
  • Job-related training;
  • Other: administration of training grants; labour market information; job Centres in 3 areas.

    Percentage of job-seekers seeking work through the agency:

    73% (according to Labour Force Survey estimates).

    3.The following information is registered about a person:

  • Name;
  • Sex;
  • Social security number (or similar identification number also used by other agencies);
  • Address of usual residence;
  • Date of birth;
  • Citizenship;
  • Nationality/ethnic group;
  • Educational/vocational attainment. Links to ISCED have not been established;
  • Current/past activity status, with 3 categories distinguished;
  • Type of work (occupation) of past or present job. Links to ISCO-88 have been established (sub-major groups level);
  • Type of work (occupation) of job sought, with 476 groups distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established;
  • Name and address of present or previous employer or work place;
  • Type of business (industry) of present/previous employer/workplace, with 83 groups distinguished. Links to ISIC, rev.3 have been established (group level);
  • Previous registrations with the agency/service;
  • Other: registration of up to 5 options; type of disability (if any).

    4.Criteria used for inclusion of a person in the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Being without work (R) and (S);
  • Seeking work (R) and (S);
  • Availability for work (R) and (S);
  • Age (lower limit: 16 years (R), 15 years (S); no upper limit);
  • Citizenship (Maltese nationals only) (R);
  • Being resident in the country (R);
  • Previously employed (R).

    5.Criteria used for exclusion of a person from the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Death (R) and (S);
  • Taking up residency abroad (R) and (S);
  • Commencement of a (new) job (R) and (S);
  • Participation in certain unemployment promotion schemes and paid public works programmes, etc. (R) and (S);
  • Studying or undergoing training (R) and (S);
  • Failure to contact the agency/service (R);
  • Refusal of a suitable job offer (R);
  • Refusal of a suitable training offer (R);
  • Receipt of a pension (R);
  • Inability to work (R) and (S);
  • Other: If found working by inspectorate in the informal sector (R).

    6.Definition of unemployed persons used for the statistics

    (Criteria to enrol under Part I of the Unemployment Register):

    All Maltese citizens who are aged over 16 years and who were:

  • made redundant from their earlier job; or
  • were school leavers (first time registrants); or
  • who were under Part II of the Register, for one of the following reasons, and have passed their six-month penalty period, i.e.: were dismissed from work due to disciplinary action; left work of their own free will; refused work/training opportunities, without giving a valid reason, offered to them by the Placement Officer whilst they were registering under Part I; were struck off the Register after being found working in the informal sector during an inspection by law enforcement personnel; failed to provide all the necessary documents required for registration under Part I (temporary measure).

    7.Updating of the registers

    The registers are updated daily and weekly.

    8.Unemployment rates

    Statistics from the registers were used to obtain unemployment rates until August 2001 (since then unemployment rates are obtained through the Labour Force Survey). The source of data on employed persons forming part of the denominator of the unemployment rates was the Employed Persons Database, based on engagement forms.

    9.Type of statistics of unemployed persons produced

    Reference period:

    Month.

    Frequency of production:

    Monthly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Educational level;
  • Occupation;
  • Industry;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Duration of unemployment.

    Form of publication:

  • On paper, for general audience;
  • On a website (www.nso.gov.mt).

    Agency responsible for publication:

    National Statistical Office.

    Title and periodicity of the publication(s):

    News Release (monthly); Abstract of Statistics, annual.

    10.Methodological information about the statistics

    Form of release:

  • On paper, for general audience;
  • On a website (www.nso.gov.mt).

    Agency responsible for the release:

    ETC.

    11.Comparisons with unemployment statistics from other sources

    Comparisons have been made with unemployment statistics from the Labour Force Survey and the Population Census.

    Frequency of the comparisons:

    Occasionally (latest: December 2000).

    Publication of the methodology/results of the comparisons:

    These have not been published.

    12.Major changes since the start of the statistics

    There have been no major changes in legislation, capacity of the agency and/or administrative procedures which had a significant influence on the statistics.