Malta has changed dramatically within the space of a single lifetime. The opportunities available to someone entering the labour market today are very different from those available to someone who started working several decades ago. So too are expectations about careers, housing, family life, money and what constitutes a good quality of life. Not to mention the difficulties older people encounter with rapid technological developments which younger people take in their stride.
This difference in experience can sometimes create a generational divide. Older people may look at younger generations and see greater opportunities, higher expectations and a lifestyle that would have been unimaginable in their youth. Younger people, meanwhile, may look at the generation before them and see a quieter and less stressful Malta where buying a home and building a stable life appeared more attainable. Both perceptions contain elements of truth, but neither tells the whole story.
To understand how these different experiences shape attitudes, we spoke to two people at very different stages of life: 86-year-old Alfred and 24-year-old Rosa. They were asked about work, money, housing, family, education and the changes they have witnessed in Malta. Their answers reveal not simply two different generations, but two very different versions of the country.
For Rosa, for example, finding work was relatively easy. She received several interview opportunities quite quickly when she entered the labour market. The main difficulty was job quality, not availability; the jobs she found did not meet her expectations. As a graphic designer, she felt that creative work was undervalued and that employers prioritised quantity over quality. She wanted employers to recognise and encourage the creative aspect of her profession rather than simply focusing on output.
Although for Alfred finding work was also relatively easy, the opportunities available were limited to what young people experience today. He said entering the labour market was straightforward. Alfred used to work as a teacher, and at the time this was possible with only six O-levels. Describing the labour market at the time, Alfred said that the government was a major employer; many people entered government employment as clerks or typists and could progress from there. Of course, several other traditional career paths also existed - he mentioned policing, nursing, working in the dockyards, and banking, but that was as far as it went in those days.
Moreover, employment opportunities were at the time strongly connected to social networks, Alfred pointed out. Knowing or being related to someone already working somewhere could help you get a job, particularly in banks. However, Alfred distinguished this practice from corruption, saying that this sort of nepotism was a normal feature of employment at the time.
Getting a job, however, is only part of the challenge. Rosa said progressing, once in the workplace, requires more than simply working hard. One thing that gives people a competitive edge is education, as employers initially judge candidates based on their CV and qualifications. She believes that hard work can lead to advancement, but it is not guaranteed. In fact, she is actively considering additional courses and further education to improve her career prospects. Despite working in a creative field, she understands education can help her progress alongside practical experience.
Alfred expressed similar sentiments, saying that hard work was not enough to advance his career as a teacher. The main barrier was the lack of promotion opportunities rather than a lack of effort. He described teachers at the time - the 1950s and 1960s - as being essentially stuck in their positions, with promotion being very difficult.
Rosa said the challenges of establishing herself professionally are closely tied to another question: whether having a job is enough to live independently. Having a full-time job does not mean she feels financially independent. She is still living with her parents, which helps her manage financially. She explained that living independently would mean spending most of her salary on basic living expenses, leaving little for savings or leisure. Housing costs are therefore an important factor limiting her independence. She could potentially manage rent with her boyfriend, but this would leave her with less disposable income.
Moreover, she is considering emigrating abroad, so staying at home allows her to save money for that future goal. She recognises that not paying rent is a significant financial advantage and explicitly described herself as lucky to have this support. Aside from housing, Rosa receives substantial financial support from her parents, particularly for her basic needs such as food, electricity and water.
Alfred's experience of financial independence was very different. He became financially independent at just 18 years old, at which point he was already working as a teacher. His income was very low - around the equivalent of €20 per month - but he considered this sufficient to represent financial independence at the time. Moreover, rather than receiving financial help from his parents, as Rosa is getting, he gave his salary to his mother, keeping only one pound for himself. He explained that this was not necessarily universal, but at the time most people were expected to contribute financially to their families.
As previously mentioned, Rosa, like many Maltese young people, plans to emigrate in the future. She said she is attracted to the idea of emigrating partly because she feels Malta lacks accessible natural spaces, and she wants greater access to nature. She is also dissatisfied with Malta's political climate and the way decisions are made. That being said, she does not yet have a fixed departure date as she wants to save enough money for the move and also marry her partner before emigrating.
Rosa's ability to build a career in the first place is closely linked to another major difference between the two generations: education. Rosa believes that education has contributed to her standard of living, particularly by helping her enter her current career. She feels that her current qualifications, namely a Bachelor's degree, are sufficient for her profession in Malta, as graphic design has limited opportunities for further academic specialisation. She is satisfied with her education, but wants to continue learning for personal achievement rather than because she needs additional qualifications to remain employed. She believes she could continue progressing through work experience alone, even without further education. That being said, she said education gave her access to employment and creative development. She also valued the learning environment and the personal experience she gained from her studies.
Alfred also strongly believes that his qualifications led to a better standard of living. For him, the most important opportunity that education provided was access to employment. His father was a labourer and his mother was a housewife, so education provided him with an opportunity to enter a different type of occupation. Unlike Rosa, however, Alfred did not continue to tertiary education as such qualifications were not needed for his line of work at the time.
Beyond education and employment, the two generations also have different perceptions of what it means to be free. Rosa said she feels free to express her identity and appearance without significant social consequences. She also feels she can communicate with older people as an equal, rather than automatically having her opinion dismissed because of her age. She however feels restricted by the limited opportunities and possibilities in Malta.
Alfred described himself as having always felt free when he was young. Although his family was practising Catholic, he did not experience religion as restrictive. He attended Catholic Action, but felt capable of distinguishing between religion and politics. He described himself as having developed his own ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Rosa feels she can challenge her parents and people in authority, but believes the way she does it matters. She emphasised politeness and respectful communication when disagreeing. She believes that if you listen to and understand the other person's perspective, your own opinion is more likely to be respected.
Alfred's experience was surprisingly similar. In his youth, Alfred also felt able to challenge his parents and authority figures. Political disagreements were an important example of this. His father was a strong Labour supporter and followed Mintoff very strongly. Alfred did not simply accept his father's views and would argue with him about politics.
But while Rosa feels relatively free in how she lives and expresses herself, she is less certain about the financial security that awaits her generation later in life. Rosa said she does not believe young people will enjoy the same standard of retirement as current pensioners. She is concerned that future government pensions may not be sufficient or may not exist in their current form. Her concern is influenced by what she hears about the financial sustainability of pensions. She admits that she is not highly knowledgeable about pension systems, so her view is partly based on general concerns and information she has encountered. She sees the issue as broader than Malta, linking it to wider global economic and financial pressures.
Alfred also believes that future generations will not enjoy the same pension standard. He argued that the State will not be able to provide pensions at the same level in the future. He therefore believes young people need to take personal responsibility for retirement planning. He referred to the "fourth pillar", emphasising private provision alongside State support. He identified falling fertility rates and an ageing population as major reasons for concern. His argument is that fewer working-age people will be available to support a growing number of pensioners. He sees this as a European-wide issue rather than something unique to Malta.
The differences between the generations are not only financial. Rosa also sees one major advantage in the working lives of older generations: they did not have to contend with generative AI. Her concern is particularly strong because she works as a designer, where generative AI directly affects her profession. She feels AI can limit her creativity because clients sometimes provide AI-generated images and ask her to reproduce them. She believes designers in the past had greater opportunities to demonstrate their own creative skills and ideas. She sees AI as creating a barrier between her and the person she is working for, reducing the personal and creative relationship. Most significantly, she feels that AI can create job insecurity. She sometimes feels pressured to use or copy AI-generated designs not because she wants to, but because she fears losing her job.
AI is only one part of the technological environment shaping Rosa's generation. She also believes young people have become heavily dependent on social media, although she does not see that dependence as entirely negative. She believes social media can negatively affect communication and behaviour. She feels online culture can encourage people to become more mean or harsh towards one another. She also believes social media creates unrealistic or difficult expectations. However, the internet has allowed her to develop meaningful friendships with people she would never otherwise have met.
Alfred also believes that young people are too dependent on technology and social media. His concern is specifically about social media rather than technology itself. He is particularly worried about its influence on public opinion and people's judgement. He described social media as having the power to act as "judge and jury", suggesting that people can form conclusions about others based on what they see online. He is concerned about misinformation and reputational damage, particularly in politics. He believes negative claims can be repeatedly circulated until people begin to believe them, even when they are untrue. Despite not being highly involved in technology himself, he does not feel particularly excluded by it.
Alfred and Rosa's experiences show that neither generation has had an entirely easier life. They have faced different opportunities, pressures and expectations, shaped by the Malta of their time. Perhaps the real divide is not between generations, but between two very different realities of the same country.