Dr Chircop said the latest unemployment figures showed that there was an increase of 189 unemployed over the previous official amount.

He said that a total of 45,000 people were part of a family where no-one had fixed employment.

To compound the matter, he said, there was not one employment sector where workers had not been hit by uncertainty. “This is the complete opposite to what that Nationalist government promised before the last election,” he said.

Dr Chircop said the employment climate was leading to great stress on families and was even contributing towards an increase in the number of separations, depressive illnesses and the increasing drug problem. “This shows that government has lost control,” he said.

While the government refused to admit there is an unemployment problem, said Dr Chircop, it had published an action plan to stimulate employment.

“There are some very good proposals in the plan, which the MLP deems as positive, but these proposals cannot go ahead unless the economic situation is turned around,” he said.

“What use is the plan to increase the participation of women in work, when there is no work to be had? What use is increasing the pension age when there is no work for those aged over 40?” he asked.

The challenges facing Malta could not be solved by hot air but by initiative and concrete action, said Dr Chircop.

“The MLP believes that this country must regain its competitiveness and attract foreign investment by implementing a serious and well thought out economic regeneration action plan,” he concluded.