The government has denied giving out jobs in the public sector to secure votes at the next general election.

It was asked to respond to a claim made earlier this week by the Malta Employers’  Association, which said businesses could already feel the “talent drain” from the private sector as several employees migrate to government jobs ahead of the election.

“The truth is that there is no employment drive whatsoever, neither within the public service nor the wider public sector,” a spokesperson for the government said.

“Public sector employment from the total of the gainfully occupied stands at 22 per cent, which is five per cent lower than the 27 per cent in 2012.”

MEA director Joe Farrugia has told Times of Malta that some unskilled and semi-skilled workers were even willing to accept jobs with lower salaries to move to a position with the government.

As a result, some areas of the public sector were overstaffed, leaving a shortage of employees in the private sector, he said.

The government says this is not true.

Past practices are over

It said that vacancies within the public service for unskilled workers, labourers in scale 20, amount to just a few dozen.

“These are replacements of employees who retired or left their employment. The number of unskilled workers across the public service amounts to just 188,” it said.

The government did not provide figures for the number in semi-skilled employment. Semi-skilled jobs include clerks and security guards.

In their proposals, the employers’ lobby also asked why, for example, meter readers were still needed when so much had been invested to install automated smart meters in every home.

“Ninety-four per cent of electricity meters are smart meters while 67 per cent of water meters can do away with the meter reading,” the government spokesperson said.

“Hence, the need for meter readers who also perform other duties, such as inspections in cases of dubious use of meters.”

The government spokesperson frowned upon the careless use of the employers’ “blanket statements”.

“We have become accustomed to them. Such as when it was publicly alleged that government employees make excessive use of sick leave entitlement, when facts and figures proved quite the contrary.”

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana was yesterday quoted by The Malta Independent as saying that the government should only recruit people who continue to enhance its services rather than just employ them in order to give out favours here and there.

He said “past practices” were “over”.