LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – In the latest effort to crack down on worker exploitation while preventing the influx of foreign workers in saturated industries, the Maltese government will launch a new economic migration policy. Home Affairs and Employment Minister Byron Camilleri explained that the new policy will aim to better align migration with the actual needs of the labour market. “The policy will strengthen employment rights, ensure fair working conditions for all, and reward employers who invest in upskilling their workers, regardless of nationality”.
The initiative comes amid concerns of a massive increase in third country national workers in Malta, especially in the last decade.
In an interview with The Times of Malta, Minister Camilleri said: “The government’s policy is built on four key principles: prioritising the needs of those already contributing to the local economy, safeguarding the dignity of all workers, promoting stability and retention, and encouraging the upskilling and reskilling of employees”. Minister Camilleri added: “It will be a policy in favour of workers, it will push for more stability and retention in all sectors, it will invest in worker upskilling and re-skilling and adopt a skills-based approach that identifies which industries need more workers and which have enough”.
He emphasised that economic migration will only be permitted to address labour or skills shortages identified in the labour market. “Some sectors, like healthcare need more workers but other sectors like cabs and food delivery services, have enough, and this policy will help the national employment agency Jobsplus identify where and when workers are needed”.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo credit: Agenzia Fotogramma-
