The Employment and Training Corporation last week issued statistics with regard to the number of workers who were caught working illegally.

In its statement, the ETC said that nearly 1,700 workers had been interviewed on site by ETC officials during nearly 1,000 on-site inspections carried out in just two months, in June and July.

In all, the ETC said, it found 481 workers – 28 per cent of those interviewed – on a job without their employment being declared.

Thirty-nine of them were found to be working while being officially unemployed and registering for work, and the ETC took steps to remove them from the unemployment register. Another 18 were non-EU citizens who were working in Malta illegally and another 10 were on a job while still

under-age.

All this shows that there are several types of abuse in the employment sector, abuse which the ETC does well to curb. Judging from the statistics provided by the corporation, it seems that the problem is perhaps bigger than one would imagine.

The fact that, in just two months, nearly 500 workers were caught working illegally clearly indicates that employment abuse is quite rampant. Although the ETC must be commended for its work in this regard, it must also realise that it must do more in a bid to control the situation better.

The statistics provided show three main areas that need to be tackled: the employment of people who are officially unemployed as they are registering for work, the employment of foreigners who do not have a work permit and the employment of youngsters who are still under age.

All three are a matter of concern. That there are people who work in spite of declaring themselves unemployed is unacceptable, largely because it is likely that they are drawing unemployment benefit (for up to six months) or receiving other social services while at the same time receiving an income on which they do not pay tax or national insurance. A corporation spokesman said, when the figures were released, that “undeclared employment means tax evasion and non-payment of social security contributions”.

The workers themselves are at fault just as much as those who employ them, and it is hoped that the necessary steps are taken in this regard.

The same goes for foreigners who work here without the necessary permit. It is very often the case that they are paid wages that are much lower than those that would be demanded by Maltese workers, or else they take up jobs for which Maltese workers cannot be found because they do not want to do them. But by being employed in such jobs, these foreigners are taking up employment that would otherwise be available to unemployed Maltese – those who really are without a job, that is.

It is also sad to note that there were 10 youngsters who were already employed when they should have been at school. This is perhaps a more complex issue, because it means that these youngsters are losing out on what should be their education. It means that they have entered the working world without being sufficiently mature to do so.

In publishing these statistics, the ETC said that it had received 163 anonymous calls from the public reporting cases of possible undeclared work. It has urged people to continue reporting any infringements, which are then

investigated and, if necessary, steps are taken to rectify the situation.

While collaboration from the public does help the ETC to curb abuse, the corporation must continue its own work to get a better grip on the illegal employment problem.