Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546363
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 AUGUST 2026 NEWS Call for Applications For more info visit micas.art/get-involved or contact people@micas.art micas.art Closing at noon on 13 September 2026 Administrator (Admin & HR) Jobsplus Permit Number: 680/2026 CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The Malta member in EURO- MIL is the General Workers' Union, which has a branch rep- resenting military and uniformed personnel. The data for the survey titled Recruitment, Retention In The European Armed Forces was sourced from member associa- tions and not national authorities. EUROMIL is made up of 37 mil- itary associations or trade unions from 22 countries, representing 500,000 soldiers and their fami- lies. Member associations from 12 countries took part in the sur- vey. According to the GWU's replies most of the army's new recruits are aged between 20 and 30. "Cur- rent personnel levels are mostly sufficient to meet national and NATO commitments," the GWU reply states. Malta is not a mem- ber of NATO but forms part of the military organisation's Part- nership for Peace programme. The GWU response notes that "technical specialists" are affect- ed most by personnel shortages but adds that national authorities introduced "financial incentives" over the last five years to improve the situation. Regarding retention, the GWU's reply states that military person- nel "most frequently" leave close to retirement because of better work-life balance, family reasons and reaching the 25 years of ser- vice threshold. "To strengthen retention, na- tional authorities introduced specific measures such as salary increases, bonuses and allowanc- es, pension reforms, and flexi- ble working arrangements," the GWU reply states. Responding to other questions about people's willingness to defend their country and the at- titude of young people towards military service, the GWU reply states: "Citizens have high will- ingness to defend Malta in the event of a major crisis or war. Younger generations have a more positive attitude towards military service compared to previous generations due to the increase in wages, advertisement from the Armed Forces media, and organi- sation of activities within military premises." Asked to identify the greatest personnel challenge for the next 10 years, the GWU identifies "competitiveness with the private sector". The survey found that the ma- jority of respondents deemed the current recruitment and reten- tion situation in their respective militaries either problematic or critical. Most frequently military personnel leave the armed forces within 10 years after joining. The main obstacles of recruit- ment overall remain the com- petition from private sector and salaries. Retention levels were influenced by receiving better salaries and better work-life bal- ance outside the military, family reasons, and lack of career op- portunities. Non-commissioned officers, enlisted personnel and technical specialists are the most affected by personnel shortages, according to the overall findings. The countries participating in the survey were: Belgium, Bulgar- ia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Nether- lands, Portugal, Spain and Swe- den. The findings come at a time when the European Union is plac- ing greater emphasis on military and defence spending as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the United States' disen- gagement policy under Donald Trump. For the first time, the European Commission has a commission- er responsible for defence, a post created by President Ursula von der Leyen after the 2024 Europe- an Parliament elections. The AFM received 65 new re- cruits last June after they suc- cessfully completed an intensive course lasting approximately 22 weeks. A total of 191 applicants had applied, of whom 87 success- fully passed the selection process. Of these, 84 began their training in January, while 65 recruits suc- cessfully completed the course in June. Most of the army's new recruits are aged between 20 and 30, GWU says New army recruits at the Passing Out Parade last June (Photo: AFM/FB