Malta must do more to improve the skills and training of its existing workforce rather than rely on attracting new workers to the country, employers have argued.

The significant pressure being faced by employers to identify the right human resources with the appropriate skills for their operations is a threat to the continuity, competitiveness and future of Maltese businesses, the Malta Employers Association argued during a seminar held at the Parliament building in Valletta this week.

National entities and relevant stakeholders which play a direct or indirect role in the employment of workers within Malta’s labour market took part in the event.

“We need to strengthen our capital investment so that new economic activity does not necessarily require more resources but perhaps different and adapted skills,” argued MEA director-general Joseph Farrugia.

Farrugia noted that political talk about improving human resources at employers’ disposal was often focused on attracting more workers to the country.

Malta has drawn tens of thousands of workers from overseas in recent years, as part of a labour policy that focused on plugging gaps in the employment market through imported labour.

That policy was revised last year to refocus more clearly on educating local workers to meet employment needs, though it notes that declining fertility rates mean importing workers will continue to play a key role. 

MEA president Joanne Bondin urged policymakers, constituted bodies, national entities and regulators to work in the same direction and make a “clear commitment to ensure that the country can develop and attract the right skills to strengthen its competitiveness in the future”.

MEA consultant Kevin J Borg listed a number of concerns cited by MEA members. They range from proposals to revise the pensions and education system, to workers’ soft skills and a focus on career guidance.

An acute lack of human resources is pushing employers to look to third-country nationals as new hires, Borg noted, and it was therefore important that red tape in obtaining permits for such workers is simplified.

The event was opened by the Speaker of the House, Anġlu Farrugia, who acknowledged that the theme of the seminar, focusing on ensuring the right skills for our country’s competitiveness, is crucial for Malta’s sustainable development. He called for further synergies between all stakeholders towards the development of human resources, including through further integration of the foreign workforce in Malta, which is an essential component of the labour market.