Stress on sectors with higher turnover per employee

The setting up of Malta Enterprise was another of the concrete steps taken to generate more jobs and wealth in the economy, Finance Minister John Dalli said yesterday.

"Malta Enterprise is an organisation that is customer driven and where 'a can do', proactive, problem-solving attitude prevails," he said.

Mr Dalli was speaking during the presentation of the Malta Enterprise awards for achievement, a ceremony held at the Intercontinental Hotel, in St Julians.

He said ME would support and actively help customers in their various dealings with public institutions and other entities.

"Malta Enterprise cannot work in a vacuum and now has to be a catalyst in getting all the government departments, public utilities, educational institutions, embassies, consular offices, trade and industrial organisations to work together to make Malta the place where to do business," he said.

ME's marketing strategy was to focus on key sectors that provide higher turnover per employee and higher capital investment per employee.

The sectors being targeted were pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, automotive components, ICT, marine, plastics, chemicals, engineering, electronics, training & education and food and beverages, he said.

Mr Dalli added that ME's remit now included support to small and medium enterprise. It will assist local companies in exporting their products and services by helping open new markets, supporting exports as well as linking up with foreign companies to penetrate the North African and Middle East markets.

Last year 18 projects had been approved and had started operating or were setting up operations which, Mr Dalli said, should result in an increase of over 1,000 jobs over three years. These projects were on in high value added sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, software and biotechnology.

Last year there were 42 participant firms in fairs, 15 in trade missions and 53 in mini-missions, all occasions for Maltese companies to meet potential foreign trade buyers, the minister said.

Also during 2003, about 170 firms from different sectors were given grants mainly to restructure their operations.

Mr Dalli highlighted the important role of the social partners, who he said needed to put forward concrete proposals and not "parade for the solution of problems which have for too long hindered the competitiveness of our country and which they are fully in power to solve".