FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert says employment is improving in certain sectors of the economy.

He was responding to a question from Opposition Senator Damian Lyder in the Senate on Tuesday.

Imbert told Lyder he was making claims of low employment in parts of the economy based on outdated information.

"In September 2023, the Central Statistical Office released more recent employment data, up to the second quarter of 2023."

He said this data "reflects improving employment conditions in...the transport, storage and communication and construction sector."

In construction, Imbert continued, "The data reveals a substantial improvement in the number of employed individuals from 64,900 in the first quarter of 2023 to 78,400 in the second quarter of 2023."

He turned to transport, communication and storage.

"Within the transport, communication and storage sector, the number of employed individuals from 28,900 persons in the first quarter of 2023 to 34,200 in the second quarter of 2023."

Government senators thumped their desks as Imbert read out the figures.

He said, "An additional 13,500 persons were employed in the construction sector in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2023.

"The number of additional persons employed in the (construction) sector was 15,400 when a comparison is made to the first quarter of 2022."

He said, "Clearly, the Government's efforts to create jobs in these sectors are yielding very positive results."

On this basis, Imbert described Lyder's question as totally irrelevant and misleading.

"In no way could any reasonable person infer that this data creates a condition of stagnant employment numbers. In fact, you would have to be seriously disturbed to think that increases are stagnant."

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