The Maltese economy has become very dependent on imported labour, with specific sectors, like tourism and healthcare, facing formidable challenges to recruit adequately skilled workers to operate efficiently.
Insufficient investment in people in the past several years is being remedied by the mass recruitment of EU and third-country nationals for jobs requiring different skill levels.
Policymakers and employers now admit that treating labour as a commodity is not sustainable, especially if the country is to embark on an economic transformation phase.
Rather than adopting radical labour market reforms to reduce over-dependence on imported labour, the government uses administrative tactics to avoid drastic changes that could shake the foundations of many economic activities.
One of these administrative tactics is introducing a mandatory skills card for third-country workers seeking employment in the tourism sector. Eventually, this requirement will also apply to local and EU nationals. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
The mantra of ‘quality rather than quantity’ in the tourism industry has been repeated too often. It is time for the industry stakeholders to translate slogans into action plans.
Of course, any transformation programme will inflict some pain on those affected by the changes. For third-country nationals, obtaining a skills card comes at a cost of at least €575. Employers interested in upgrading their service standards should find no problem reimbursing successful prospective employees with the cost of obtaining a skills card.
But much more must be done to ensure employers invest in upskilling their workers. The healthcare sector is also heavily dependent on third-country workers. The skills level of third-country medical professionals can be confirmed by vetting their formal qualifications and work experience.
However, one critical skill that foreign workers find difficult to obtain is the ability to speak Maltese. Some patients still struggle to communicate in English and have every right to speak to those caring for them in Maltese. Every effort should be made to overcome this skills shortage.
In the longer term, the solution must be to make paramedical jobs more attractive to local young people seeking employment in the caring professions.
The growing challenge of morbidity in our ageing population is leading to several families recruiting third-country nationals as full-time carers for elderly relatives who continue to live in their homes.
Caring for older adults requires specific caring skills. Home care for the elderly has become an essential service and is to a large extent prepped up by third-country nationals.
It is crucial for foreign and local carers to have demonstrable caring experience and qualifications before they take up employment.
The construction industry and public and private transport providers must be adequately skilled to guarantee the safety of the public in their work. These workers, irrespective of their nationalities, must be certified as sufficiently skilled before employment and that they continue to regularly upgrade their skills.
The introduction of a skills card for all workers with no formal skills certification obtained after an official training course will help ensure that employers invest in the people with the right skills level.
People must not be treated as commodities that can be hired and fired at the lowest possible cost for employers.
The skills card may be just one small step toward economic transformation but it is necessary, and hopefully reduces the huge worker turnover.