The newly launched Employment Agencies Business Section within The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry strongly condemns levying fees from candidates looking for employment.

Section 8e of the law clearly states that the Director of Labour may refuse an application for a licence or revoke a licence if an agency charged any fees or demanded any payment from applicants for employment.

The chairperson of the section, Lawrence Zammit, said that law enforcement in the area of private employment services is sorely lacking and The Malta Chamber’s objective is to ensure a level playing field in the market and an upgrade in the quality of service delivered to employers and job seekers.

Recent reports in the media have reported cases of candidates being charged fees to secure employment, a practice which is abusive and dilutes the good work carried out by numerous law-abiding operators.

The Malta Chamber’s business section calls on the relevant authorities to better resource the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations to enable it to step up enforcement, to investigate such alleged abusive practices, to issue an updated list of licensed agencies and to ensure public transparency with the most up-to-date information.