Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1492490
11 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2023 Foreign workers 2016-2021 Increase in % Italy Philippines India United Kingdom Serbia Nepal Bulgaria Romania Albania Spain France Germany Turkey Hungary Poland 11,096 5,724 6,376 1,625 6,047 5,552 4,218 3,984 1,380 2,732 2,596 2,187 2,433 1,407 2,190 1,738 1,151 1,715 1,703 1,688 1,651 1,454 1,593 2021 2016 Foreign workers in Malta 2021 Countries from where most foreign workers hailed from in 2021 Sectors where EU nationals outnumber non-EU nationals Wholesale/retail; transport/storage; ICT Arts, entertainment and recreation Financial/insurance; Real Estate 6,684 5,822 5,966 1,732 2,705 1,421 EU Non-EU Professional, scientific, technical, support service Construction Public admin, education and health, social work Accommodation and food service Manufacturing, quarrying Other Services Agriculture, fisheries 7,641 9,709 2,012 5,187 1,821 5,114 3,991 5,019 2,391 3,490 987 1,123 102 248 EU Non-EU Sectors where non-EU nationals outnumber EU nationals By 2021, the amount of gainfully employed 'third-country nationals' in Malta had reached 43,500, well over the 34,000 EU nationals in the Mal- tese workforce. Growing Asian workforce The data shows that non-EU workers in 2021 mainly hailed from the Philip- pines – who increased five-fold over just five years – India, Serbia, and Ne- pal, with large components of Alba- nian, Turkish and Pakistani workers. The increase in workers from South Asia, often recruited by agencies, comes in the wake of the rise of the gig economy, particularly during the COVID pandemic as well as increased demand for health workers. EU workers in Malta however main- ly hail from Italy, with just over 11,000 registered in the Maltese workforce in 2021 – doubling in size over the course of five years – with English (no longer EU members) following with 5,500 workers. Sub-Saharan workers, a portion of them accounting for Malta's asylum claimant population, are among the smaller nationalities represented in the national workforce, with 577 Ni- gerians, followed by 466 Somalis and 367 Eritreans. Jobs and salaries Data tabled in the House of Repre- sentatives by the finance minister in reply to a question from Nationalist MP Ivan Castillo, shows non-EU na- tionals firmly occupying Malta's low- est-paying jobs. In the ranges that start from annual €10,000 salaries, €15,000 and €20,000, non-EU nationals total almost 30,000 – representing just over 70% of the non-EU workforce. The data also shows they represent less than 5% of the total (Maltese, EU and TCN) workforce. The reality is entirely different at the top, where a minimal amount of non- EU nationals occupy higher-paying jobs. Jobsplus data also shows that non- EU workers tend to be mainly em- ployed in elementary jobs (11,000), service or sales workers (9,500), and then as craft tradesmen (5,000). EU nationals previously outnum- bered non-EU counterparts in many economic sectors. Now third-country nationals outnumber EU workers in the professional and support service sector; construction, and manufactur- ing; health work; accommodation and food service. EU nationals are pre- dominant in finance and real estate, arts and entertainment, wholesale, transport, logistics and IT. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt