Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533084
JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt 10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 MARCH 2025 NEWS Increase in foreign workers: It's not the young A new Central Bank of Malta study has challenged claims that young Maltese are em- igrating in large numbers or that public sector employment is forcing private employers to rely on foreign labour. While some have suggested that young Maltese workers are leaving the country, con- tributing to a decline in the native workforce, the report found that Malta continues to experience a net inflow of its own citizens. In 2023, 2,256 Maltese citi- zens returned to the country, while only 1,767 emigrated. The latest data shows that the number of young Maltese em- igrating has sharply declined – from 828 in 2012 to just 194 in 2022. At the same time, the num- ber of young Maltese returning home has remained relatively stable, leading to a net positive migration trend among this demographic. The study also cites Euro- found research indicating that only 21% of young Maltese plan to emigrate, below the EU average of 23% and significant- ly lower than the 50% figure for Cyprus. Public sector growth not driving foreign labour demand Another widespread belief is that increased employment in the public sector has created a need for more foreign workers in other sectors. However, while the number of public sector employees grew from 46,000 in 2013 to just over 55,000 in 2023, the sector's share of total employ- ment actually fell from around 25% to under 20%. The study noted that more than 40% of public sector job growth was in education and healthcare, areas driven by ris- ing demand for services rather than artificial job creation. Furthermore, the number of foreign nationals employed in the public sector increased from 705 in 2013 to 1,803 in 2023, accounting for 12% of the overall rise in public em- ployment. The report concludes that even if the public sector work- force had remained frozen at 2013 levels, the reduction in foreign worker inflows would have been negligible. The real driver: rapid economic growth The study explained that the growing demand for foreign labour is mainly due to Mal-