A study on demand for work in the aviation industry in Malta was presented by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg, on Monday. 

This report confirms that the aviation sector in 2019 directly supported more than 5,000 jobs, with full-time jobs accounting for 97.5% of all jobs in the industry. 

During a press conference, Borg said: “Aviation is crucial because it is an important economic sector that contributes to our economy and is also crucial for our connectivity. Malta is an island country, isolated, meaning that it is linked to the rest of the world by sea or by air. We are therefore placing a lot of emphasis on increasing opportunities in the field of aviation, especially in the context of the pandemic.” 

He spoke of the committee chaired by architect Karmenu Vella, which was working “so that we would have, through an expert report, an analysis of the sector, the workers who work in it, the skills and qualifications needed to enter new aviation opportunities and to safeguard present ones. This was the first step through which we are now seeing what needs to be done in order to work with educational and other institutions to ensure that we have the human resources needed by the sector, whilst continuing to offer careers that pay well for young people.” 

Karmenu Vella, Chair of the Aviation Advisory Committee, said that after several meetings the committee held with stakeholders, it was clear that a detailed study was needed on the employment situation in the aviation sector. He added that on the basis of this report, the Aviation Advisory Committee would continue to work with all stakeholders in order to establish work programs that encourage more people to join this sector. 

One of the members of the Aviation Advisory Committee, Joseph Galea, said the report reflects the industry. He said that the report clearly shows that at the end of last year, this sector had already started to recover from the pandemic, but there was a shortage of staff and human resources to keep the sector advancing forward. 

The report recommends developing and extending apprenticeship schemes to encourage more people to start careers in the aviation sector.