PKF Malta's team of economists and statisticians will in the coming weeks be conducting a follow-up on a previous study carried out by PKF in 2016 on the female participation in the Maltese labour market.

PKF's previous study indicated that the main reason for women not joining the labour market following childbirth was mainly to raise their children from the comfort of their own home. It also transpired that the majority of women who opt to stay out of the labour market possess a high level of education, denoting that the labour market is suffering in terms of both its capability and capacity as a result of this phenomenon, to the detriment of economic growth. The study also deduced that the main motivators for re-entering the labour market were financial reasons and children having grown up. Popular solutions among the respondents included tax reductions, implementation of the after-hours at more schools, fully subsidised transport to all education institutions and support for female entrepreneurs with sick children. This year, the PKF team will be carrying out a follow-up study through a number of face-to-face interviews in various locations with women of a reproductive age to analyse their views on the various contributory factors which entice them to re-join the labour force following childbirth or their time off taken out of the labour market to raise their children.

Following the extension of Klabb 3-16 and the implementation of free transport for all schoolchildren as from the next scholastic year, PKF aims to ascertain whether the motivational factors are valid and which incentives would encourage women to stay within the labour force, particularly as they struggle to achieve a healthy work-life balance.