Clyde Caruana said he will "continue to do my best" after the Jobsplus agency was removed from him in a surprise portfolio reshuffle on Thursday following the findings of the Sofia public inquiry.

The finance minister shrugged off the transfer of the agency from his ministry to home affairs minister Byron Camilleri.

"It is the prime minister's prerogative to move portfolios," he said outside parliament. "There is a lot to do when it comes to the country’s fiscal policy. In the coming days I will continue to work and do my best for the good of the country in that sector."

Clyde Caruana on losing responsibility for the government's employment agency. Video: Chris Sant Fournier

The move was announced in a statement from the office of the prime minister, which said the aim was for greater coordination between Jobsplus and Identità on the importation of foreign workers.

It followed criticism from the public inquiry on how Jobsplus does not compile a list of active construction sites from contractors, meaning it is unable to carry out spot checks on the workers.

The board also noted that there was a lack of controls around accepting applications for foreign workers from companies and a lack of coordination with Identità, who issue residency permits. 

The OPM statement did not make any reference to the inquiry when announcing the reshuffle but said the decision was “primarily being taken to strengthen the coordination between government entities”.

Caruana has been responsible for the government's employment agency since he was made minister in 2020 and was previously executive chairman of the agency. 

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