The Malta Employers' Association has expressed its support for the establishment of an Enforcement Unit within Identity Malta to tackle illegal employment of third country nationals.

The Association said that it has "consistently been against illegal employment practices which, besides being objectionable in themselves, also give abusive operators an unfair competitive advantage over others that adhere to the rules."

However, the Association also called for a faster and more efficient process to expedite applications, "as in many cases Third Country Nationals [TCNs] were being employed illegally because of the delays in processing.

"Identity Malta should distinguish between operators who abuse the system to profit from illegality, and employers who are pressured into employing TCNs because of inefficient administration, which frequently drives applicants to desperate measures to work in order to support themselves.

"This carries the risk that they might end up being exploited. MEA is also recommending authorities to consider combining the inspectorate of Jobs Plus, DIER and Identity Malta for better effectiveness and to avoid an overlapping of duties."