Only workers needed for the economy will be allowed into the Maltese labour market, Prime Minister Robert Abela has said.

He was replying to a question on how the government will tackle  overpopulation during an interview with MaltaDaily.

Abela replied to several questions sent by readers on numerous topics. 

One questioner pointed out that Malta is overpopulated, therefore traffic is unbearable, health services are not coping and the sewage system is inadequate in many places. "What are you going to do to solve this mammoth problem the Labour government has created?”

The question came after recent official statistics showed that the population had shot up by almost 21,000- or 4% - in the space of a year, reaching 563,443 people by the end of 2023. 

According to the data, the increase was mostly driven by immigration, which reached its highest ever level with over 42,000 people moving to Malta in 2023.

Abela said the island’s new reality and increase in population were a positive result of economic growth and the creation of new jobs and economic areas of activity. 

“We used up available Maltese and Gozitan human resources, and economic growth created vacancies that needed to be filled by foreign workers," he said.

To tackle these new challenges, the government introduced new rules for Temping Agencies - agencies that bring workers to Malta.  

He added that he had instructed Employment Minister Byron Camillieri to ask JobsPlus to analyse labour market trends. 

“Only those workers that the labour market needs will enter our country,” he said. 

“Furthermore, the country will continue to invest in economic niches that use robotics and AI and can replace many workers that this country can do without,” he added.

While Malta could not shrink the economy or opportunities for the people, overpopulation was a challenge that must be addressed, he admitte. 

“I agree this country cannot have the same population growth it has had in the past few years”.

Addressing another question about the need for foreign workers to understand the Maltese language, Abela said many foreign workers employed in health services had taken up Maltese language courses. 

Foreign workers in the hospitality sector would now need a Skills Card to work, which included having a basic knowledge of Maltese. 

How will the government deal with traffic congestion?

The prime minister was also asked how the government planned to develop a “sustainable and efficient” transportation system to address the increase in cars on the island. 

Abela listed several road projects- such as the central link, and Luqa flyover- which the government had invested in to facilitate traffic flow.

Talks were ongoing on how to improve road uses, particularly how to stagger delivery services to reduce congestion during peak hours.  

“I will mention two types of services, deliveries and waste collection, which can be done at times that do not clash with school hours or during people’s commute to work,” he said. 

“Should such services be provided in the morning and afternoon hours, or should we make more use of the evening hours?” the prime minister asked, effectively echoing a similar suggestion made last year by then Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia. 

Another way to tackle road traffic was by using public sea transport Abela said. Since the harbour ferry service became free of charge, there had been a spike in demand, with the ferries seeing an increase of 200,000 passengers, he said.

When asked about the introduction of euthanasia, Abela reiterated an electoral programme commitment to a structured dialogue on the subject. He said it was important that this sensitive topic was not politicised.