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A workforce transformed beyond recognition Malta's political class has long treated foreign labour as both an economic necessity and a po- litical liability. But in the 2026 election campaign, this contra- diction has moved to the centre of political debate — even if few politicians are willing to con- front it openly. The scale of Malta's demo- graphic transformation helps explain why. In 2013 Malta had around 24,980 foreign workers and residents, including roughly 6,410 registered third-country nationals (TCNs). By mid-2025 the number of foreign work- ers alone had risen to around 130,000, with foreign nationals accounting for nearly 39% of the workforce. TCNs now make up roughly 69% of the foreign work- force, reaching around 132,700 people by 2025. This transfor- mation took place largely under a Labour government whose economic model relied on rapid growth in tourism, construction, gaming, logistics, care work and platform services — all sectors heavily dependent on imported labour. Labour's structural dilemma Yet Labour also faces an un- comfortable political reality: part of its traditional work- ing-class base remains deeply uneasy about the social conse- quences of rapid demographic change. Rising rents, overcrowd- ing, pressure on infrastructure and cultural anxieties have all become entangled with percep- tions of migration. The result is a governing party caught be- tween economic dependence on foreign workers and electoral pressure to appear tougher on migration. Abela's shifting language on identity and exclusion Robert Abela's own messaging throughout the campaign en- capsulated this tension. At times he adopted an inclusive tone. When Labour candidate of Syr- ian origins Omar Rababah faced racist attacks, Abela defended him robustly. Yet even this defence revealed the limits of Labour's language on integration. Rather than pre- senting Rababah's candidature as self-evidently legitimate, Abe- la emphasised his "Malteseness": his Maltese family links, Catho- lic children and integration into local community life. In this way he also sent the message that to stand for an election having a Maltese pedigree matters more than competence, talent and principles. Instead Abela may well have emphasised Rababah's competence rather than his ped- igree. And while finding himself on the right side of history in push- ing for Rababah's candidature, Abela had himself tapped into anxieties about foreigners and Maltese identity. Months earlier, in October 2025, he had argued that a PN proposal to introduce the right to a healthy environ- ment into the Constitution could allow foreigners or resi- dents to use the courts to chal- lenge traditional fireworks and church bells on environmental grounds. Foreigners were thus presented as potential threats to Malta's cultural traditions and village life. Pride in excluding foreigners from super bonus Just days after standing by Rababah, Robert Abela shifted tone, openly boasting that La- bour had found a way to exclude around 100,000 foreign workers from its proposed €1,000 annual "super bonus," while countering the PN's tax cut proposal, which foresees a minimum €1,200 re- bate for low-income earners. In doing so, Abela took the cue from his predecessor Joseph Muscat, who has increasing- ly weaponised the eligibility of foreign workers for such bene- fits. After singling out the pres- ence of 92,000 non-EU workers, Muscat described the PN pro- posal as a "€1,200 annual gift" to these workers, warning it would make Malta "even more attrac- tive" for foreign labour inflows. He also framed what he called PN rhetoric as "almost racist," while praising Labour's Super Bonus for being limited to Mal- tese, EU citizens and long-term residents. Abela quickly followed this line, arguing that the PN plan would amount to "sending Mal- tese money to foreigners." La- bour also introduced a five-year residency requirement to en- sure the benefit primarily reach- es long-term residents, marking a shift from earlier, more uni- versal tax rebate schemes that included all workers in Malta. The approach is also politi- cally calculated, with Labour contrasting its scheme with the PN's proposed tax cuts, which it argues risk "leakage" to foreign workers, while framing its own proposal as protecting taxpayers and rewarding rootedness. Still, the issue exposes tensions within Labour between electoral strategy and ideological discom- fort. Critics include former min- ister Evarist Bartolo, who called the approach "shameful" and warned of "second-class work- ers," former MEP Cyrus En- gerer, who said it departs from socialist principles, and com- mentator Jeremy Camilleri, who argued that workers contribut- ing taxes and national insurance should not be excluded on the basis of nationality. Managing contradictions This dual strategy — symbol- ic inclusion alongside coded exclusion — reflects Labour's broader attempt to manage a contradiction it cannot resolve. Malta's economic model still requires large inflows of foreign labour. Yet politically, Labour increasingly speaks as though this same labour force is some- thing to be contained, filtered or selectively excluded from the benefits of growth. The contri- bution of this workforce is rare- ly recognised or congratulated. The party's concrete pro- posals — some of which very sensible — reflect this balanc- ing act. Labour is promising to double recruitment fees for for- eign workers, impose stricter rules on employers who dismiss third-country nationals unfairly, and require pre-departure train- ing and certification for incom- ing workers. These measures are presented not as a reduction in foreign labour per se, but as a shift toward "managed growth" and better regulation. 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 MAY 2026 ANALYSIS ELECTION 2026 2026 Election: The foreigners Malta The 2026 election campaign reveals a political class caught between economic dependence on foreign labour and mounting anxiety over Malta's social transformation. James Debono examines how political parties are approaching the issue of foreign labour during the election campaign