Childcare workers now have an incentive to speak Maltese

Child carers who have at least a basic level of Maltese will receive a €520 yearly allowance, the government has announced.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela and Employment Minister Byron Camilleri presided over the signing of a new agreement between Jobsplus and childcare centres.

The new four-year agreement will cost the government €276.7 million.

The Chamber of SMEs and the Childcare Centre Providers Association negotiated on behalf of childcare centres. The previous deal expired in December 2024.  

Childcare services in Malta and Gozo are provided to working parents for free for children aged between four months and three years. The government runs 13 centres, with dozens of others being privately operated. Privately run childcare centres are paid by the government for every child whose parents are eligible.

Speaking at the event, Employment Minister Camilleri said the free childcare policy, now in its 12th year, has meant more women have entered the labour market.

The Government and representatives of childcare centres signed the agreement on Tuesday. Photo: DOI

“In 2012, less than half of Malta’s women were working. That number has now risen to almost 75 per cent – more than the EU median.”

Free childcare has also led to a reduction in poverty, especially for single mothers, he said.

“Besides it being good for parents, childcare is also good for the children themselves. They socialise and begin receiving the basics of an education. As a parent of a young child myself, I can often see that my child has learnt something that I did not teach her.”

Incentive for Maltese speakers

As part of the deal, childcare workers who speak Maltese will get a wage boost. 

Camilleri drew on his own experience as a father, saying he wanted his daughter to speak Maltese well.

“It is important that we not only retain childcare workers who speak Maltese within the sector, but also encourage others to choose this career,” he said.

Times of Malta understands that the allowance will be covered by the government, with carers needing to prove they have at least a pre-intermediate knowledge of Maltese (A2) to qualify for it. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the government can afford to spend hundreds of millions on the measure due to its healthy economy.

“Abroad, governments can at best cover the costs of a few hours of childcare a week. In some fellow EU member states, like Ireland, parents on average spend a quarter of their income on childcare,” he said.

Abela says he and bishop 'have different perspectives' 

Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma.

The agreement comes just a few days after Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma spoke critically of childcare services, saying some parents were treating their children like "objects" and leaving them with carers when they are just a few months old. 

Equality Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg and a cabinet minister condemned the comments.

Asked about the bishop's comments on Tuesday, the prime minister said it was the government's job to facilitate and respect the choices parents made. 

“For those parents who decide to stay at home for the first months, we are giving as many incentives as we can, and for those who want to continue advancing their careers, we have childcare centres.”

Abela said that he and the Gozo bishop have different perspectives because “he is a pastoral shepherd and I lead a secular state”.

The prime minister said it would be difficult to reconcile their different opinions on the matter.