Malta Job Vacancies in Q2 2026: Which Sectors Are Hiring?
Malta recorded 9,619 job vacancies in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest Job Vacancy Survey published by Malta’s National Statistics Office.
The total was almost unchanged from the 9,611 vacancies recorded in Q2 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of just 0.1%. However, the headline figure does not tell the whole story.
Hiring demand shifted considerably between sectors and towards smaller employers. Construction, manufacturing, trade, transport, accommodation and food services recorded stronger demand, while professional and administrative support services experienced a significant decline.
In short, Malta’s recruitment market did not grow substantially overall, but the types of employers and sectors looking for workers changed.
Malta’s Q2 2026 Job Vacancy Figures at a Glance
| Indicator | Q2 2026 | Comparison | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total job vacancies | 9,619 | 9,611 in Q2 2025 | +0.1% |
| Total occupied posts | 298,303 | 284,459 in Q2 2025 | Approximately +4.9% |
| Overall job vacancy rate | 3.1% | 3.3% in Q2 2025 | -0.2 percentage points |
| Private-sector vacancies | 9,239 | 8,909 in Q2 2025 | Approximately +3.7% |
| Public-sector vacancies | 380 | 702 in Q2 2025 | Approximately -45.9% |
| Vacancies in small enterprises | 5,805 | 4,490 in Q2 2025 | Approximately +29.3% |
Vacancies also fell from the revised total of 10,022 in Q1 2026 to 9,619 in Q2 2026. This represents a quarter-on-quarter reduction of approximately 4.0%.
Occupied posts, by contrast, increased from 294,895 in Q1 2026 to 298,303 in Q2 2026.
> Key takeaway: Malta’s total number of vacancies remained stable, but recruitment demand shifted towards small private businesses and sectors such as construction, trade, transport, accommodation and food services.
Which Sectors Recorded the Strongest Growth?
The largest annual increase in the number of vacancies occurred in the category covering wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food services.
Vacancies in this broad sector increased by 571, rising from 2,665 in Q2 2025 to 3,236 in Q2 2026. This represents an increase of approximately 21.4%.
The sector accounted for roughly one-third of all vacancies recorded in Malta during the quarter.
Construction
Construction registered the second-largest numerical increase.
The number of vacancies rose from 643 in Q2 2025 to 985 in Q2 2026, an increase of 342 positions or approximately 53.2%.
Construction also recorded Malta’s highest sectoral job vacancy rate, at 6.2%. This indicates particularly strong recruitment demand relative to the total number of jobs within the sector.
Manufacturing and Industry
Manufacturing, mining, quarrying and other industrial activities recorded 899 vacancies, compared with 622 in Q2 2025.
This represents an annual increase of approximately 44.5%.
Real Estate
Real estate activities recorded 210 vacancies, up from 124 one year earlier. Although this was a strong percentage increase, real estate still represented only 2.2% of Malta’s total vacancies.
It remained the smallest sector category in absolute terms.
Which Sectors Recorded Fewer Vacancies?
The largest numerical decline occurred in professional, scientific, technical, administration and support service activities.
Vacancies in this category fell by 541, from 2,614 in Q2 2025 to 2,073 in Q2 2026. This represents a reduction of approximately 20.7%.
Vacancies in public administration, defence, education, human health and social work declined from 1,189 to 891, a fall of approximately 25.1%.
Arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities recorded 424 vacancies, down from 701 in Q2 2025. This represents a reduction of approximately 39.5%.
The media, telecommunications and information services category declined from 597 to 452 vacancies.
Financial and insurance activities remained comparatively stable, recording 449 vacancies compared with 457 one year earlier.
These movements demonstrate why the almost unchanged national total should not be interpreted as an unchanged recruitment market. Employment opportunities increased substantially in some areas while declining in others.
Small Businesses Generated Most of Malta’s Vacancies
Small enterprises employing between one and 49 people generated 5,805 vacancies in Q2 2026.
They accounted for 60.4% of all vacancies in Malta, meaning that approximately three out of every five available positions were found within small enterprises.
Compared with Q2 2025, vacancies among small businesses increased by approximately 29.3%.
The situation was different among medium-sized and large employers:
- Enterprises employing between 50 and 249 people reported 2,486 vacancies, down approximately 11.8% year on year.
- Enterprises employing at least 250 people reported 1,328 vacancies, down approximately 42.3%.
Small enterprises also recorded the highest job vacancy rate, at 5.3%. The rate was 3.1% among medium-sized enterprises and only 1.1% among large enterprises.
For jobseekers, these figures suggest that focusing exclusively on Malta’s largest and most recognisable employers could mean overlooking a significant proportion of the active recruitment market.
Private Employers Dominated Recruitment Demand
Malta’s private sector accounted for 9,239 vacancies, equivalent to 96.0% of all vacant positions in Q2 2026.
The public sector accounted for the remaining 380 vacancies, representing 4.0% of the total.
Private-sector vacancies increased compared with Q2 2025, while public-sector vacancies declined considerably.
The private-sector job vacancy rate stood at 3.7%, compared with just 0.6% in the public sector.
This does not mean that the public sector employed relatively few people. Public-sector occupied posts totalled 59,772, representing 20.0% of all occupied posts in Malta.
Instead, the figures indicate that relatively few public-sector positions were vacant on the survey’s reference date.
Why Did Malta’s Job Vacancy Rate Fall?
Malta’s overall job vacancy rate declined from 3.3% in Q2 2025 to 3.1% in Q2 2026, even though the total number of vacancies increased slightly.
The explanation lies in the growth of the wider employment base.
The job vacancy rate measures vacant posts as a proportion of all vacant and occupied posts. While vacancies remained almost unchanged, occupied posts increased by approximately 4.9% year on year, reaching 298,303.
Because the number of occupied posts grew considerably faster than the number of vacancies, the vacancy rate declined.
This combination points to a labour market that continued adding occupied positions while aggregate unmet recruitment demand eased slightly in relative terms.
What Do the Figures Mean for Jobseekers?
The Q2 2026 results suggest that employment opportunities were not distributed evenly across Malta’s economy.
Relatively strong demand was recorded in:
- construction;
- manufacturing and other industrial activities;
- wholesale and retail trade;
- transport and storage; and
- accommodation and food services.
Small enterprises were particularly important, accounting for three out of every five vacancies recorded during the quarter.
Jobseekers should therefore consider opportunities beyond Malta’s largest and best-known employers. Smaller companies generated 5,805 vacancies and recorded a considerably higher vacancy rate than medium-sized and large enterprises.
However, the survey measures open positions. It does not provide information about salaries, employment conditions, the qualifications required or the willingness of employers to recruit candidates from outside the EU.
International candidates should not assume that every advertised vacancy comes with work-permit sponsorship. They should check the position’s requirements and whether the employer is prepared to follow Malta’s applicable recruitment and immigration procedures.
What Do the Figures Mean for Employers?
Although Malta’s overall vacancy rate declined, the figures suggest that recruitment pressure remained substantial in particular parts of the economy.
The construction vacancy rate of 6.2% and the 5.3% rate among small enterprises point to continued difficulty filling positions in these areas.
Employers competing for candidates may need to review:
- recruitment timelines;
- salary and benefits;
- how and where vacancies are advertised;
- the candidate application experience;
- employee retention strategies; and
- workforce planning.
Employers considering candidates from outside the EU should also account for immigration compliance and permit processing at an early stage of recruitment.
A candidate should not be asked to begin working before the appropriate authorisation has been issued.
Important Methodological Change
The Q2 2026 release uses the updated NACE Rev. 2.1 classification of economic activities.
The National Statistics Office also revised the historical data covering the period from 2017 to 2025 and updated the weights used to produce its estimates.
This change is important when interpreting the results. The NSO expressly advises users not to compare figures in the Q2 2026 release directly with figures published in earlier releases, as the reclassification and revised weighting may affect comparability.
The year-on-year comparisons presented in this article therefore use the revised historical figures republished within the Q2 2026 release.
The survey covers more than 3,200 entities employing at least one person and is supplemented by administrative information relating to the public sector.
It provides a snapshot of vacancies and occupied posts on a specific reference date. It is not a count of every vacancy advertised online throughout the entire quarter.
The figures are provisional and may be revised.
Malta Labour Market Outlook
Malta’s labour market continued to expand during the second quarter of 2026, with occupied posts increasing by approximately 4.9% year on year.
At the same time, the total number of vacancies remained nearly unchanged and the national job vacancy rate declined from 3.3% to 3.1%.
The figures indicate that recruitment pressure became more concentrated rather than increasing across the economy as a whole.
Construction, trade, transport, accommodation, food services and smaller private businesses continued to experience strong demand. Meanwhile, vacancies declined in several professional, administrative and public-facing sectors.
Future quarterly releases will show whether this represents a lasting change in Malta’s recruitment market or a temporary movement between sectors.
For now, the central message is clear: Malta’s employment base continued to grow, but hiring demand shifted significantly between industries and towards smaller private employers.
