A total of €80 million have been allocated to employees impacted by COVID-19 as part of the government's wage supplement scheme. 

Some €55 million have already been disbursed, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri announced on Thursday. A further €25 million are set to be handed out on Friday. 

This translates to some 93,580 jobs being saved. 

"With our finger firmly on the pulse of businesses, as a government we will guide businesses through this new phase in order to reduce their burden as much as possible and safeguard jobs while creating new ones," Schembri said. 

In the coming days, a "substantial amount of measures" aimed at "stimulating the economy and generating economic activity", will also be unveiled. 

The measures will include both short-term and long-term plans, he said.

"The short-term ones are aimed at addressing the supply aspect of the economy, while the long-term ones will focus on attracting and boosting investment," the minister said.  

Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia added that very "few evaluations are still underway", with the entity mainly waiting for response from applicants. A total of 20,012 applications, covering 93,580 employees, have been received.