The Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) has agreed to commission a study that will evaluate how artificial intelligence is set to impact the Maltese labour market and how it can be better utilised by local businesses and by the country overall.

This agreement in principle was reached following a request by the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue, Andy Ellul, to the MCESD Council.

During the MCESD's last meeting, PS Ellul spoke about the government's various investments in this digital sector, as well as in the skills development of Maltese and Gozitans to raise general quality of life.

Ellul said that AI is expanding into every job sector. In this context, this study would form part of an ongoing effort to evaluate how AI impacts the country's labour market and in a general sense.

The Parliamentary Secretary recalled this technology's potential to be an important pillar in the Maltese government's long-term vision, in the introduction of more widespread remote working, and even in enshrining the Right to Disconnect, which are a small part of a larger set of measures intended to strengthen people's work-life balance.

PS Ellul praised the productive discussion within the MCESD, as well as social partners' activism and constructive dialogue. He noted that in all of this, the government plays a central role in proposing salient topics that directly affect people's lives - irrespective of whether people agree or disagree with them, because they are important to discuss.

In this meeting, PS Ellul observed the MCESD's importance and stated that it is imperative for the dialogue within this forum to remain strong so that more good can be concretely done in local society.

Through their interventions, social partners acknowledged both the opportunities and the challenges that AI may present for the Maltese economy and its labour market. They commented that AI can enhance productivity and efficiency, though it can also raise new concerns - especially when it comes to algorithms and skills gaps, especially amongst older workers for the latter.

In this meeting, there was unanimous agreement that Malta, as a country, must be prepared for the change that is bound to take place in various sectors of work through AI technologies. Hence, they acknowledged the need for such a study to be commissioned in order to study these changes.

The social partners at the MCESD table stressed that on an educational level, students should continue to be exposed to digital tools while being taught how to think critically for Malta to remain competitive and resilient as technological change occurs.