Average monthly basic salaries in Malta increased by 7.4% during the second quarter of 2026, as the labour market continued expanding, according to the latest Labour Force Survey by the NSO.
According to the latest Labour Force Survey published by the National Statistics Office, the average monthly basic salary reached €2,282, compared with €2,125 during the same quarter last year. This represents an increase of €157 per month, or €1,884 over a full year before tax.
Salary growth remains relatively consistent, although it has moderated from the first quarter. Average salaries had increased to €2,270 in Q1 2026 from €2,063 a year earlier, equivalent to annual growth of around 10%. Between the first and second quarters of this year, the average salary increased by only another €12.
The figures refer to basic salaries before tax and social security contributions and exclude overtime, allowances and bonuses.
Managers remained the highest-paid occupational group, with an average basic salary of €3,657, up from €3,403 last year, an increase of around 7.5%.
Workers in elementary occupations saw a much smaller increase, with average salaries rising from €1,379 to €1,412, or just 2.4%. The figures therefore indicate that salary growth has not been distributed evenly across occupational groups.
Financial and insurance activities remained the highest-paying economic sector, with an average monthly basic salary of €3,021.
Employment also continued increasing. The number of employed persons reached 339,935, with the NSO reporting annual growth of 3.4%. Full-time employment reached 299,994, while another 39,941 people had part-time work as their main employment.
Part-time employment as a primary job increased particularly strongly, rising from 36,317 workers during the same period last year.
The continued increase follows the strong expansion of Malta’s labour market recorded throughout the year, with employment growth remaining an important contributor to the wider economy.
Despite the increase in employment and salaries, unemployment also edged higher.
The unemployment rate increased from 2.9% in the second quarter of 2025 to 3.3% this year, while the estimated number of unemployed persons increased from 9,978 to 11,431.
Meanwhile, the proportion of employed people with tertiary education continued increasing, reaching 41.1% compared with 37.6% last year.
The latest figures therefore show that Malta’s labour market is still expanding and wages are continuing to rise, although salary growth varies significantly between different occupational groups and unemployment has also increased slightly.
Newsroom
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