Jobs in Malta are still widely available in 2026, but the latest figures show that not all sectors are moving at the same speed. For anyone looking for work, the newest data gives a useful picture of where employers are currently searching for people.
In the second quarter of 2026, Malta recorded 9,619 job vacancies. That is almost exactly the same as a year earlier, so this is not a sudden hiring boom. What is changing, however, is where the vacancies are.
Retail, hospitality and transport are still looking for people
The biggest cluster of vacancies was in the broad group covering:
- wholesale and retail;
- transport and storage;
- accommodation;
- food services.
Together, these sectors recorded 3,236 vacancies in Q2 2026. That was 571 more than a year earlier, making this the strongest increase among the main sector groups.
So yes, shops, restaurants, hotels and transport-related businesses are still very much in the hiring conversation. For people searching for jobs in Malta, these remain important areas to watch. There is one important detail, though: the figure covers the whole group, so it would be wrong to say that all 3,236 vacancies were in hospitality alone.
Construction has the biggest hiring gap
Construction stands out for a different reason. It had the highest vacancy rate in Malta, at 6.2%, compared with an overall vacancy rate of 3.1% across the economy.
In simple terms, the vacancy rate tells us what proportion of all available positions in a sector remain unfilled. So while construction may not have the largest number of jobs in Malta overall, it appears to be having a particularly difficult time filling the positions it has.
Small businesses are doing most of the hiring
This is probably one of the more interesting findings. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees accounted for 60.4% of all vacancies in Malta, while large employers with 250 workers or more accounted for only 13.8%.
For jobseekers, the message is fairly simple: don’t only watch the big-name companies. A considerable share of jobs in Malta are available through smaller employers.
Sometimes the job is not behind a shiny corporate careers page. Sometimes it is behind a fairly ordinary-looking office door.
Most vacancies are in the private sector
Of Malta’s 9,619 vacancies, 9,239 were in the private sector, representing roughly 96% of all vacant posts recorded in the survey. The public sector accounted for the remaining 380.
The private sector is much larger in employment terms as well, but its share of vacancies is particularly pronounced. For someone actively looking for jobs in Malta, this gives a fairly clear indication of where most of the current opportunities are appearing.
Employment is still growing
The wider labour market also continues to expand. The Labour Force Survey estimated that 339,935 people were employed in Malta in Q2 2026, an increase of 3.4% compared with the same period a year earlier. The unemployment rate stood at 3.3%.
Separate Jobsplus administrative data showed that registered full-time employment reached 309,592 in April 2026, up 4.9% year on year. The strongest increases came from:
- administrative and support services;
- information and communication.
That does not necessarily mean these sectors currently have the most vacancies. It means that they added a significant number of workers compared with a year earlier. Employment growth and current vacancies tell us two different things, and the distinction is worth keeping in mind.
Part-time work is growing too
Part-time employment increased by 10.4% compared with April 2025. The largest increases were recorded in transportation and storage, followed by accommodation and food services.
For people looking for flexible work, a second job or part-time jobs in Malta, these sectors may therefore be worth watching alongside the traditional full-time market.
And what about salaries?
The average monthly basic salary in Malta stood at €2,282 in Q2 2026. This is the basic salary before tax and social security deductions and does not include overtime, bonuses or allowances, so it should not be confused with average total earnings.
There are also substantial differences depending on the type of work. Managers had an average basic salary of €3,657 per month, while elementary occupations averaged €1,412. Looking at economic sectors, financial and insurance activities recorded the highest average basic salary, at €3,021 per month.
So the answer to “What is the average salary in Malta?” remains a rather Maltese one: it depends.
So, where are the jobs?
The latest figures give us a fairly clear picture. Retail, transport, accommodation and food services continue to account for a large share of vacancies, while construction has the highest vacancy rate. Smaller businesses are responsible for most vacant positions, and the private sector remains the main source of hiring activity.
At the same time, overall employment is continuing to grow, with administrative and support services and information and communication making notable contributions to the increase in registered full-time employment.
For anyone searching for jobs in Malta, the picture is not one of explosive hiring, but it is far from quiet either.
There are jobs out there. The trick is knowing where to look.
A quick note on the data
The figures in this article come from three different NSO sources: the Job Vacancy Survey, the Labour Force Survey and Jobsplus registered employment data. They measure different aspects of Malta’s labour market and should not be treated as identical or directly interchangeable.
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