The second Implementation and Evaluation Report (2017-2019) of the National Strategic Policy for Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion 2014-2024 shows that there a was a 4.5% decrease in persons At-Risk-of-Poverty or Social Exclusion (AROPE) between 2013 and 2019. 

This was revealed by Permanent Secretary Mark Musu’, alongside Minister for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children’s Rights Michael Falzon, in a press conference on Monday morning, where the findings of the report were discussed. 

Building on the Implementation & Evaluation Report 2014 – 2016, this new report focuses on the 2017 to 2019 period whereby Government continued to implement various policy measures contributing towards the 94 policy actions proposed by the Strategic Policy. 

“If we had to look at the results from 2017, we had 94 policy actions, 93 of them have been implemented,” Musu’ said. 

One of the main points highlighted was the 4.5% decrease in AROPE individuals recorded from 2013 to 2019. A more in-depth look into the report, a slight increase was still noted from the previous couple of years, with a 1.1% increase in the statistic between 2018 and 2019. 

This pattern can also be seen when it comes to Severe Material Deprivation (SMD) – which is when one struggles to make ends meet with regards to things such as coping with unexpected expenses, avoiding arrears, and so forth. From 2013 to 2019, the number of people decreased from 42,000 to 18,000, with Minister Farrugia remarking that “the bottom line is, there is a 1/3 difference of what it was 6 years ago.” Again, the 3.7% of people recorded in 2019 who fall under the bracket of the severely material deprived is slightly higher than the statistics recoded in 2017 and 2018, which stand at 3.3% and 3.0% respectively. 

“We have to tell the truth,” Minister Farrugia remarked, “under the previous administration in 2013, the fact that people were suffering from Severe Material Deprivation was all ‘a perception’ for them.” 

“When this government was elected, we had a number of people who depended on social assistance for their livelihoods, but now the absolute numbers show that it was halved,” Farrugia stated.  

Elderly AROPE remains a challenge, as there is a noticeable difference in the 20.9% recorded which are AROPE in 2013, to the 29.1% recorded in 2019 – an increase of 9,000 elderly individuals. 

Unemployment

With regard to employment, from 2013 to 2019 there was a 2.5% decrease in the Unemployment Rate, which at 2019 stands at 3.6%. When compared to the EU average, the unemployment rate in Malta is well-below the 6.4% average the EU registered in 2019. 

The fluctuations that Covid-19 presents was also discussed. “Even though we have encouraging results, we still have work to do. We have to be vigilant and naturally we need to have our eyes peeled for anything that crops up during this period,” Musu’ noted. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to various consequences that can be seen to impede the progress over the years in terms of alleviating poverty and social inclusion. The next Implementation and Evaluation Report to be published is envisaged to contain a clearer analysis of the impact of the pandemic.