As a knowledge-based economy, human resources lie at the heart of Malta’s success. Continual investment in education has shaped a highly skilled local workforce recognised for its tenacity, dedication and ability to think outside the box. Foreign companies with operations on the islands speak well of Maltese workers, with the main issue lying instead in availability, thanks to an unemployment rate hovering below 3 per cent. To overcome this limitation, many companies have turned to foreign workers, with a full quarter of the working population having been born abroad.
The freedom of movement that comes with EU membership has proven useful in this respect by extending the potential pool of talent to the 200 million-strong EU workforce. Meanwhile, there are a number of schemes and incentives designed to make the recruitment of workers who are not EU citizens (known as third-country nationals, or TCNs) as seamless as possible. Certain roles in high demand may also benefit from a beneficial income tax rate of 15 per cent, a measure many employers find helpful in attracting top foreign talent to the islands.
Prospective employers can find out more about these schemes by contacting JobsPlus, the state employment agency, and Identità, which deals with visas and work permits.
Recruitment and head-hunting firms active in Malta can also provide further insight about labour market trends that may be of assistance to new or potential entrants to the Maltese business ecosystem.
