Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1416377
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 OCTOBER 2021 16 COMMERCIAL Labour shortage caused by pandemic sees RecruitGiant revise strategy to fill vacancies WITH most businesses re- turning to full operations now that most of the COVID-19 mitigating measures have been lifted, the labour short- age has left major recruit- ing agencies in Malta with as many as 500 vacancies to fill on any given day. The impact of the corona- virus pandemic meant that many foreign workers either returned home or went to look for new opportunities else- where. But now that the econ- omy is reopening, there are nowhere near enough workers around. Tomas Mikalauskas, CEO of RecruitGiant, told MaltaTo- day that the main challenge recruiters are facing in dealing with this shortage is that trav- el remains difficult. "This is not helped by the fact that Malta has not been not accepting vaccination certif- icates from certain countries like India where, pre-pandem- ic, we had set up training cen- tres specifically to give work- ers the skills they need to work in Malta," he said. "While we continue to invest in training in India and other countries, it's simply been im- possible for workers to come here." As a result, RecruitGiant has shifted its focus to trying to recruit from other countries such as the United Arab Emir- ates. Malta accepts the UAE vaccine certificate and the fact that working conditions there are very tough means that many people from South-East Asia who live there are keen to find new opportunities. The company is also trying to find workers from other EU countries. Technically it's much easier for people who are EU citizens or already res- ident in the EU to move. On the other hand, however, there is less incentive for these peo- ple to move as the difference in salary and lifestyle isn't go- ing to be that great. Mikalauskas said that, al- though Maltese jobseekers can also, of course, apply for vacancies on offer, they never do. He explained that Malta is, and will remain, attractive to non-EU workers for several reasons. "Of course, many of the non-EU workers who do come to Malta are looking for opportunities to learn and im- prove their skills," he said. "For many, the experience of working in Europe can also translate into much better ca- reer prosects back home." But these career and eco- nomic benefits are not exclu- sive to Malta. Malta's main advantage is the fact that it is English speaking, something which is a big plus for workers migrating from other former British colonies. A hot climate also helps. In other words, Malta offers the benefits of other EU countries but also has a couple of added advantages in its favour. Mikalauskas stressed that the company does not make any profit whatsoever from work- ers it recruits to fill vacancies in Malta. It also makes sure to comply fully with all relevant employment legislation. That means that every worker who comes to Malta through Re- cruitGiant has all the neces- sary paperwork in order and has a proper contract of em- ployment, including all statu- tory benefits. "As a business we either re- cruit employees for third par- ties or we employ people di- rectly and then sub-contract these workers to our clients," he said. "Our margins come from the fees we charge clients – the employers – for filling their vacancies." The process of bringing non- EU workers to Malta is com- plex and expensive. On top of the fees due to Identity Malta and other Government insti- tutions, there is the time need- ed to deal with all the bureau- cracy both before and after workers arrive. On top of this, many new ar- rivals, who rarely have much money with them, have been spending two weeks in quar- antine at a hotel which is not exactly cheap. RecruitGiant carries all these costs and as a result it does charge workers an administrative fee to man- age the process of relocation and for obtaining the neces- sary permits. "I would also add that the la- bour shortages we are experi- encing mean that we have seen salaries for many of the vacan- cies we fill increase by 75 to 100 per cent over the past 18 months," Mikalauskas said. RecruitGiant is based in Mal- ta but it fills vacancies in many countries across the EU. All of these markets, from Cyprus to Latvia and from France to Po- land, are facing labour short- ages although this problem manifests itself differently in different countries. "For example, on the con- tinent, the shortage of lorry drivers is particularly acute. But the fact is that Europe is an aging continent and every country needs to import la- bour to keep their economy moving," Mikalauskas said. "We simply don't have enough people to do all the jobs that need doing." And the harder it becomes to bring in non-EU workers, ei- ther because of the pandemic or because of political deci- sions, the greater the threat to Europe's long-term economic prosperity. "That, in a nutshell, is the challenge and the opportunity before us," he said. RecruitGaint CEO Tomas Mikalauskas