Half of new jobs are being taken up by foreigners, including EU citizens, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said today.
He mentioned that only a minority are taken by those from sub-Saharan Africa. The minister added that this is not a new situation, but rather has been the trend following Malta's entry into the EU, due to freedom of mobility, and the European financial crisis that followed. He said that some jobs must be taken up by people coming fom overseas.
He was addressing a press conference alongside Economy Minister Chris Cardona and ETC Chairperson Clyde Caruana.
He said that while Malta has a global workforce, adding that this is positive, the government is trying to tackle the skills gap between education and employment. Minister Bartolo explained that some jobs, such as those which require Swedish or German languages, would be hard to fill due to the languages not being widely taught on the island. He also mentioned that in some industries, skills have been lost, mentioning the construction industry as an example.
He said that some sectors had higher foreign employment rates than others. Asked by this newsroom for the average number of high-end jobs occupied by non-Maltese, the Minister did not give a statistic, however reiterated that it varies from sector to sector, giving the example of the iGaming sector having a higher percentage.
During the press conference, it was said that the rate of unemployment is expected to continue falling. The ministers also gave some statistics regarding new jobs created over the past two years, with some 400 new jobs in manufacturing, 600 in construction, 1,100 in the financial services sector, 1,100 in retail and sales.
They denied statements made by the Nationalist Party, that a high number of jobs are going to the public sector. Minister Cardona explained that 8 out of 10 jobs went to the private sector.
Minister Bartolo turned to the Youth Guarantee, stating that government will continue to work to help young people find work, adding that the rate of youth unemployment also reduced.
As for those who have been registering for work for a while, the ministers explained that the EU is working on a scheme which would help these persons find jobs, comparing it to the Youth Guarantee.
Economy minister Chris Cardona was also questioned about his chief of staff, Mario Azzopardi, who was appointed as director on the four-star hotel owned by a Maltese-Libyan venture. The minister said he had absolutely no hand in that appointed, and added that it was the Board of Directors who appointed him to the post. He added that PN Deputy Leader Mario De Marco is the company secretary.