Claims that the government is in a pre-electoral employment spree are untrue, according to the head of the public service.  

Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar has rubbished employers’ claims that the government is draining human resources from the private sector in the build-up to the next general election.

“There is no employment spree in the public service,” Cutajar said.

He was reacting to a joint statement by several unions and associations that, last week, said too many skilled workers are being employed in the public sector, including state-appointed bodies. 

The strongly-worded press release was signed by the Malta Employers’ Association, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the Malta Chamber of SMEs, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Gozo Business Chamber. 

“More and more members of these organisations are voicing their concern about employees who resign haphazardly to take up what is perceived to be a more secure job with less work pressure in government entities,” the statement read.

Some companies, the social partners added, are having to reduce their operations as a result of a shortage of manpower. 

Many are resorting to replacing Maltese employees lost to the public sector with other nationalities, they added.

File photo.

Figures tell a different story

Cutajar, however, said the figures of public sector employees do not reflect the associations’ claims.

“This year, we had the lowest number of calls in the last three years,” Cutajar said. 

Referring to state employment, Cutajar said that 433 external calls for applicants had been made in 2019. Last year, this dipped to 388 and, so far this year, it had dropped again, to 354.

Furthermore, this year the government had to re-issue 164 calls as it had not managed to fill the necessary vacancies.

Cutajar said that, since 2012, around 27 per cent of workers were engaged with the public sector. This figure, he went on, had now been brought down to 22 per cent.

Malta’s workforce has changed significantly since 2012, after a government-driven policy to import thousands of foreign workers.

Last week’s statement by employers, however, is not an isolated one.

A similar call was made by the Malta Employers’ Association in the lead up to the last Budget.

Public sector employment increased by almost 500 jobs during the three-month electoral campaign in 2017. 

The government has yet to announce a date for the next general election, which must take place by next year.