The number of jobs advertised in selected print1 and online2 media, which partially gauges labour demand in the economy, increased significantly in June 2026.

This is relative to what was observed in the corresponding period a year ago.

According to the July 2026 Monetary Policy Report (MPR), 3,629 job adverts were recorded as compared with 2,502 for the same period in 2025.

This indicated an increase of 45.0% year-on-year.

However, on a month-on-month basis, the number of job vacancies in June 2026 increased marginally by 3.1% from the 3,519 jobs advertised in May 2026.

Cumulatively, for the first half of 2026, the total number of advertised jobs went up by 4.7% to 19,474 from 18,604 recorded during the same period in 2025.

Meanwhile, the total number of private sector SSNIT contributors, which partially gauges employment conditions, improved by 4.9% to 1,148,813 in May 2026.

This is compared with 1,095,338 for the same period in 2025.

On a month-on-month basis, the total number of private sector SSNIT contributors remained largely unchanged from the 1,150,352 individuals recorded in April 2026.