Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/976374
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 2 MAY 2018 NEWS ADRIAN Delia is preoccupied by the influx of foreign work- ers, as he yesterday insisted that it is important to ques- tion how this was impacting Malta's social fabric. The Nationalist Party lead- er's reflection came at the end of a business breakfast or- ganised by the party to mark Workers' Day and to which key speakers were invited to share their thoughts. "With 20% of births coming to mothers who are not Mal- tese, we have to understand how this will impact our iden- tity, how we think, what we do," Delia told his audience that had just heard how ex- traordinary economic growth created a demand for jobs that could not be met solely by the Maltese labour market. Over the past few years the number of foreign workers has increased exponentially and now amount to more than the number of workers employed in the public sector. Calling for long-term plan- ning, Delia said this should not only be about the econo- my. "Any plan has to take into account whether we want to change into something else, transform and lose our iden- tity," Delia said. He said that at current trends, until the next election the private sector workforce will be split down the middle between Maltese and foreign workers. "We have to start questioning what this means." Delia's preoccupation with a growing foreign population has been a running theme since he took over the PN leadership last September, walking a fine line between far-right populist rhetoric and ordinary concerns expressed by people living in communi- ties with a high concentration of foreigners. In a carefully worded speech, Delia chose to raise questions, without indicating how his concerns on identity and reli- gion should be addressed. "Let us be careful about creating a country where for- eigners come here to work but our children choose to leave because it will become a Mal- ta they do not recognise any longer," Delia said. He also expressed concern over an economy propped up by consumerism, which forced people to work longer to meet expectations. Delia said higher economic growth was not being reflect- ed enough in better incomes for families, with some hav- ing to resort to a second or third job to make ends meet. He said the PN will contin- ue to meet people and open its doors to discussion in a bid to craft out a vision for the country over the coming years. ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Malta's identity under pressure by foreign influx, Adrian Delia cautions At a business breakfast organised by the Nationalist Party, its leader Adrian Delia spoke of a future that could see Maltese children leave the country they no longer recognised as home. KURT SANSONE reports PN 1 MAY BUSINESS BREAKFAST KURT SANSONE WAGES have not increased at the same rate as profits at a time when the econ- omy is passing through "extraordinary growth", economist Philip von Brock- dorff said. The increase in profits was "dispro- portionate" when compared to wage growth in the last years, he said at the business breakfast. Brockdorff antici- pated that economic growth was ex- pected to persist in the years to come but cautioned about the uncertainty that may be caused by voices in Europe calling for tax harmonisation. Malta's attractive tax system is com- ing under increasing pressure in Brus- sels at a time when it will lose Britain as a key ally next year. Brockdorff said growth was creating jobs, generating wealth and was at the heart of the building boom that has also led to higher property and rental prices. However, the phenomenon was also leading to precarious jobs, espe- cially among foreign workers who are not unionised. The increase in population required better planning to address infrastruc- tural problems, he added. Brockdorff also called for a national discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace and the demands on new skills this will cre- ate. "This is a debate that has not even started in Malta," he cautioned. Planning for social cohesion The call for long-term planning was reiterated by Malta Employers' Asso- ciation director general Joe Farrugia, another guest speaker. With a resident population fast mov- ing towards the 750,000 mark in a few years' time, the country needs a strat- egy on integration, Farrugia said. Policymakers had to anticipate demo- graphic change to address economic, social and infrastructural challenges caused by a growing resident foreign population, he added. Farrugia said the number of foreign workers in Malta, which at the latest count totalled 43,000, has surpassed the number of workers employed in the public sector. And the numbers were likely to continue growing as a shortage of labour supply was being felt across all economic sectors, he noted. Farrugia said the growth in popula- tion should spur policymakers to ques- tion whether the country's infrastruc- ture, including waste management, hospitals, schools, the sewage system, roads and open spaces, could cater for the influx. Farrugia emphasised this was not just about the economy and jobs, but also a matter of social cohesion. "The country needs a strategy on integration to avoid ghettoisation," he said, calling for a long-term strategy to address the situation. Back to the 1530s The influx of foreign workers was a factor raised by other speakers in the event, not least sociology professor Godfrey Baldacchino, who said the closest Malta ever got to the current situation was when the Knights landed on the island in the 1530s. "At the time the Knights represented a sudden influx of foreigners on what was largely an undeveloped, 'desert' island," Baldacchino said, adding that it was on- ly after the Great Siege that the Knights decided to make Malta their perma- nent home and invest in a new city. Baldacchino said discussing the phe- nomenon was important and did not imply that those raising concerns were against foreigners. The sociologist noted that until 1970 Malta's history was one of emigration. "We had special schemes that paid Maltese to leave the island." But today's phenomenon was a com- plete reversal of Malta's history, noting that the population increase was con- tributing to more traffic, more births, an increase in smoking, higher rents and property prices. Foreigners were also contributing to the higher use of bicycles and public transport, the creation of ethnic shops and restaurants, and pressure on the Maltese language as people resorted more to the use of English to be able to communicate with foreigners. Baldacchino said the importation of foreign workers was an easy reply to the shortages in labour supply, adding that there were still too many women of working age who were inactive. He also proposed schemes that encour- aged pensioners to continue working while receiving their pension. Wage growth has not matched profits in a thriving economy Delia's preoccupation with a growing foreign population has been a running theme since he took over the PN leadership last September