MEA PROAction initiative

These stakeholders, somehow or another participated in this PROAction Initiative, by either actively took part in the focus group meeting discussions, spoke during the Parliament Session, were panellists in one of the panel discussions during the SMEs National Forum, took part in any of our MEA TV Programmes, conducted some sort of training during MEA’s organised courses, were involved through the meaindex initiative, mentored or participated during our workshops, conducted research studies, as an entity collaborated with MEA or were key players throughout the whole ongoing initiative. And all this just during these last 15 months.

Besides these 289+ it is estimated that this project reached also nothing less than 158,766 as attendees or followers of our initiatives:

Meaindex online users 113,416; Training Courses 300: Parliament Session TV followers 15,000;

SMEs National forum 250; MEA TV Programme 25,000; MEA members 900; Webinars 700;

Information sessions 450; HR Handbook 2,000; EU Funded Project 250; Stakeholders’ connections 500

Government entities

1. Identity Malta Agency
2. Foundation for Transport
3. Jobsplus
4. Malta Enterprise
5. Malta Development Bank
6. Malta Communications Authority
7. National Statistics Office
8. Eskills Malta Foundation
9. International Tourism Studies
10. Malta Freeport
11. Transport Malta
12. Malta Fiscal Advisory Council
13. University of Malta
14. MCAST
15. Aviation Advisory Group
16. MBR
17. Malta Maritime Forum
18. Family Business Office
19. MCCAA
20. MITA
21. Agenzija Sapport
22. FSWS
23. NFDIS
24. CFR
25. Commerce Department
26. IDPC
27. Education Department
28. Trade Malta
29. Office of the Prime Minister
30. Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands
31. Ministry for Social and Affordable Accommodation
32. Ministry for Environment Energy and Enterprises
33. Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality
34. Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation
35. Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects
36. MCST
37. MDIA

NGO’s / Organisations

1. Association for Catering Establishments
2. EESC
3. Malta Employers’ Association
4. OCVO
5. CRPD
6. GWU
7. UHM
8. SGI Europe
9. ILO
10. MCESD
11. Malta Disability Forum
12. Curia
13. KSU
14. KNZ
15. Agenzija Zaghzagh
16. Empower
17. Womens’ Lobby
18. Hope Fertility Malta
19. Malta Chamber for SMEs
20. Chamber of Commerce
21. Committee for positive parenting and strengthening of the Family
22. MaritimeMT
23. EU Commission
24. EU Parliament
25. Malta Maritime Forum
26. MHRA
27. VORPS

Private Sector

1. APS Bank
2. Atlas Insurance
3. St James Hospital Ltd
4. Bad Boy cleaners
5. Aqua Biotech ltd
6. Hotel Phoenicia
7. Feltom
8. Pavi/Pama Supermarkets
9. Excelsior Hotel
10. Dorkins
11. Cater Essence
12. PwC
13. Britannia Services ltd
14. Farsons
15. C Fino & Sons
16. Consolidated Biscuits
17. Siefert Systems
18. Pantalesco
19. Liquigas
20. Konnekt
21. Quad Consultancy
22. Lufthansa Technik Malta Ltd
23. Gutenberg Press
24. Playmobil
25. Andrews Feeds
26. Mizzi Group
27. Eurobridge
28. KoptaCo Coaches
29. Valletta Cruise Port
30. Express Trailers
31. Seed Consultancy
32. Demajo Group
33. Weave Consulting
34. International Integrity Foundation
35. RSM
36. Exigy
37. Greenskip Ltd
38. Corporate Dispatch
39. ECUBED Consultants
40. Misco
41. Fenech & Fenech Advocates
42. Enemed
43. Prominent
44. Foster Clark
45. Abertax
46. Lewis Press
47. Computime
48. Ascent
49. Arkadia
50. Aviaserve

Politicians

1. H.E. George Vella                                         President of Malta
2. H.E. Marie Loiuse Coliero Preca               Former President of Malta
3. Hon Anglu Farrugia                                     Speaker of the House of Representatives
4. Hon Silvio Schembri                                    Minister for the Economy, European Funds and Lands
5. Hon Alex Muscat MP                                   Chairperson on Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs
6. Hon Ivan Castillo MP                                  Shadow Minister for Employment and Maritime Sector
7. Hon Justin Schembri MP                           Shadow Minister for Education
8. Hon Cressida Galea MP
9. Hon Clyde Caruana                                     Minister for Finance and Employment
10. Hon Robert Cutajar MP                             Shadow Minister for the Self-employed, Small Business & Cooperatives
11. Hon Andy Ellul MP                                     Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue
12. Hon Claudette Buttigieg MP                     Shadow Minister for Social Dialogue

Experts

1. Prof Godfrey Baldacchino, Professor of Sociology – University of Malta
2. Prof Marie Briguglio, Economist
3. Stefano Mallia, President of Employers’ Group – EESC
4. Ing Kevin Chircop, Executive Chairman – Enemed
5. Dr Anna Borg, Consultant & chairperson Womens’ Lobby
6. Karen Buttigieg, Empower Chairperson
7. Dr Christine Schembri Deguara, Chairperson Hope Fertility Malta
8. Joseph Farrugia, MEA Director General
9. Joanne Bondin, MEA President
10. Kevin J. Borg, MEA Consultant
11. Josef Vella, UHM
12. Josef Bugeja, GWU
13. Dr David Xuereb, Chairperson MCESD
14. Paul Abela, Malta Chamber for SMEs
15. Chris Vassallo Cesario, Malta Chamber of Commerce & Industry
16. Fr Charles Tabone, Sociologist
17. Dr Ruth Rose Sciberras, Committee for positive parenting and strengthening of the Family
18. Dr Anne Marie Thake, Senior Lecturer – University of Malta
19. JP Fabri, Partner – Seed Consultancy
20. Kirsten M Cutajar Miller, Economist
21. Dr Roberta Lepre, Managing Director – Weave Consulting
22. Dr Jeannette Axisa, Director General – Foundation for Transport
23. Matthew Zeraf, Director Social Statistics – NSO
24. Bernard Agius, Manager Digital Services – MCA
25. AnaMaria Magri Pantea, Secretary General – International Integrity Foundation
26. Yashar Klipp, Management Consultant – RSM
27. Francois Grech, Managing Director – Exigy
28. Gaetano Bugeja, Head – Lily of the Valley Mosta Secondary School
29. Michael Callus, Chairperson – Transport Malta
30. Pauline Micallef, CEO MaritimeMT
31. Omar Debon, Advisor to the Minister
32. Steve Ellul, Policy Advisor to the Ministry
33. Brian Camilleri, Chief Economist – Malta Enterprise
34. Gilmour Camilleri, Chief Economist – Malta Fiscal Advisory Council
35. Paul Azzopordi, CEO – Malta Development Bank
36. Felix Borg, Head of Corporate Services Division – Jobsplus
37. Prof Joachim James Calleja, Principal & CEO – MCAST
38. Prof Colin Calleja, Dean – Faculty of Education – University of Malta
39. Col Mark Mallia, CEO – Identity Malta Agency
40. Dolores Sammut Bonnici, Greenskip Ltd
41. Fr Charles Mallia, Curia
42. Anton Vella, MEA – SMEs Helpdesk Executive
43. Carm Cachia, Eskills Malta Foundation
44. Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, Executive Head – MBR
45. Joseph Galea, Consultant
46. Anthony Azzopardi, DIER
47. James Pearsall, MCESD
48. Antoinette Cefai, Communications Executive – Malta Enterprise
49. Joseph Meli, Marketing Operations Manager – MaritimeMT
50. Michelle Galea, Agribusiness Teacher
51. Mark A Farrugia, Deputy Director – Faculty of Technology &  Information MCAST
52. Joseph Seychell, Senior Manager ICT & Technologies – MCA
53. Michelle Marie Abela, EO – Education – Vocational Subjects
54. Paul Baldacchino, Chief Officer – BusinessFirst
55. Perit Karmenu Vella, Chairperson – Aviation Advisory Group
56. Pierre Fenech, Executive Head – ITS
57. Raphael Scerri, Jobsplus
58. Alfred Grixti, CEO – FSWS
59. Therese Pac, Programme Coordinator – UEPA
60. Andrew Galea, Director – Institute of Business and Commerce – MCAST
61. Norbert Grixti, Excelsior Hotel
62. Dr Charlotte Camilleri, MEA – Lawyer
63. Alexia Frendo, Kindred Group
64. Maria Cauchi Delia, MCIM
65. Efrem Bor, MDIA
66. Antoinette Caruana, Farsons
67. Clayton Cutajar, MCST
68. Michael Mifsud, Multigas
69. Jackie Attard Montalto, Atlas Insurance
70. Sara Kerr, St James Hospital Ltd
71. Maria Buhagiar, Bad Boy Cleaners
72. Lisa Dowdall, Aqua Biotech ltd
73. Ray Bonnici, APS Bank
74. Robyn Pratt,  Hotel Phoenicia
75. Kevin Camilleri, Hotel Phoenicia
76. Ing Abigail Cutajar, Advisor to the Ministry
77. Prof Simone Borg, Ambassador for climate change
78. Jonathan Vassallo, SEM
79. Dianne Vella Muscat, DIER
80. Caroline Tissot, Feltom
81. Marthese Gatt, Pavi/Pama Supermarkets
82. Robert Monreal Zammit, Excelsior Hotel
83. Michael Pace, Dorkins
84. Christine Pirotta, Dorkins
85. Maria Alessia Abela Micallef, Cater Essence
86. Matthew Pace, Association of Catering Establishment
87. Peter Gatt, Andrews Feeds
88. Kyle Muscat, Palymobil
89. Jonathan Saliba, Gutenberg
90. Ing Philip Borg, Enemed
91. Mark Galea, Lufthansa Technik Malta LTD
92. Ivan Refalo, Seifert Systems
93. Stephen Vella, Liquigas
94. Martin Vella, Pantalesco
95. Louis Azzopardi, Siefert Systems
96. Monica Incorvaja, Consolidated Biscuits
97. Ruth Farrugia, C Fino & Sons
98. Frank Azzopardi, Express Trailers
99. Mark Cauchi, Valletta Cruise Port
100. Adrian Demarco, Enemed
101. Kevin Vella, CoptaCo Coaches
102. Adrian Mallia, Malta Freeport
103. Ian Mizzi, Mizzi Group
104. Michaela Vassallo, MEA – EU Project assistant administrator
105. Robert Debono, MEA – EU Project administrator
106. Marika Huber, MEA – EU Project Consultant
107. David Abela, Eurobridge
108. Dr Patricia Bonello, Curia
109. Ben Rizzo, Civil Society – MCESD
110. Jeremy Mifsud Bonnici, KSU
111. Mariah Zammit, KNZ
112. Miriam Teuma, Agenzija Zghazagh
113. Andrew Buhagiar, CFR
114. Noel Agius, CFR
115. Efrem Ray Debono, CFR
116. Anne-Marie Callus, Cavetta
117. Samantha Pace Gasan, Business Disability Forum
118. Maronna Filletti, Demajo Group
119. Abigail Mamo, Malta Chamber for SMEs
120. Dr Stephanie Vella, ECUBED Consultants
121. Ivan Zammit, HACCP
122. Lawrence Zammit, Misco
123. Dr Stephanie Fabr, Economist
124. Etienne Caruana, NSO
125. Vincent Magri, SatisfACTION – Erasmus + project
126. Godwin Warr, DG Commerce Department
127. Roberta Metsola, EU Parliament
128. Mariella Vella, Jobsplus
129. Joseph Zammit McKeon, Malta Maritime Forum
130. Denise Borda, MCA
131. Philip Fenech, Malta Chamber for SMEs
132. Andrew Agius Muscat, MHRA
133. Dr Andrew Borg Cardona, Course Lecturer
134. Dr Christine Calleja, Course Lecturer
135. Norman Mifsud, Corporate Services Unit MSV Life
136. Josef Said, Konnekt
137. Mark J Galea, Quad Consultancy
138. Ryan Spagnol, Course Lecturer
139. Josette Cutajar, De la Rue Currency
140. Arthur Muscat, MEA Hon President
141. Dr John Cachia, Course Lecturer
142. Jareth Mark Grima, FSWS
143. Sharon Farrugia, Course Lecturer
144. Dr Thomas Bugeja, Fenech & Fenech Advocates
145. Dr Sue Vella, Senior Lecturer – University of Malta
146. Dr Viviana Premazzi, Social Entrepreneur – Global mindset Development
147. Lucas Cortizo, Data Protection Manager
148. Edward Mizzi, Camilleri Preziosi Advocates
149. Silvio Farrugia, OHSA
150. Dr Rebecca Diacono, Fenech & Fenech Advocates
151. Ian Deguara, Data Protection Officer
152. Dr Ron Galea Cavalazzi, Camilleri Preziosi Advocates
153. Annamaria Mifsud, PwC
154. Mark Musu’, Ministry for Social and Affordable Accommodation
155. Dr Thomas Bugeja, Fenech & Fenech Advocates
156. Joe Gerada, Course Trainer
157. Dr Clive Gerada, Course Trainer
158. Sandra Azzopardi, Computime
159. Godwin Pace, Lewis Press
160. Malcolm Tabone, Abertax
161. Jonathan Ferrito, Foster Clark
162. Dorianne Desira, Prominent
163. Robert Gonzi, Ascent
164. Denise Cortis, Arkadia
165. Simon Rossi, Aviaserve

The Malta Employers Association, kicked off the PROAction initiative by launching an extensive and wide-ranging dialogue with stakeholders designed to address one of the most pressing challenges being faced by local businesses at the present time, that of acquiring and retaining the right human resources to expand their operations and at time even to maintain the present level of activity. Throughout the month of June, the MEA held a series of focus groups among businesses aimed at taking stock of the challenges and priorities in terms of skills availabilities in key economic sectors namely transport, professional services & ICT, tourism, hospitality & retail and manufacturing.

Under the heading “Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness”, the key objective of these Focus group meetings was, to come up with lasting solutions to this new reality, while also tackling the need for academia to adapt further to the requirements of industry.

MEA convinced that as the Maltese economy seeks to regenerate itself in the post-pandemic era through new avenues of growth, firms are facing an unprecedented challenge in attracting the right talent for their organisation. A number of factors have contributed to this new reality, including an ageing population, a skills deficit in key jobs and the impact of the pandemic which has seen tens of thousands of third country nationals leave their jobs on the island. As a forward-looking Association, we want to come up with tangible solutions to sustain Malta’s drive towards competitiveness and renewed growth.

MEA believes that the objectives of this wide-ranging consultation and dialogue is to match the vision of many organisations in terms of the consolidation of Malta’s competitiveness position by seeking successful solutions for the prevailing gaps in skills and talent. At the same time, our exercise aims to map out the fundamental processes and pillars that need to be in place to ensure a smooth functioning labour market in the longer-term where business needs match the ambitious aspirations of our future work-force.

As part of the PROAction initiative, a document (Dossier) was published in July 2022, which embraced all what was said during the June 2022 four focus group meetings, and MEA’s list of recommendations.

Background Dossier on MEA initiatives towards:

Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness

A report which incorporates what the Industry Stakeholders had said during the four focus group meetings organised by the MEA in June 2022 and the counter-reaction from The Government Entities, reported after the Parliament session held in July 2022.

SME WEEK INITIATIVE – 2022

1. Introduction

In recent years, a combination of demand and supply factors has led to a shortfall of skills in the local labour market.  This has afflicted Malta-based companies, posing serious risks to their business continuity and competitiveness position.

To this end, the MEA is holding a series of events and initiatives aimed at taking stock of the current situation and proposing concrete and lasting solutions to avoid further hardships.  The events and initiatives include:

a. 4 focus groups,

b. The National Stakeholders’ Seminar to which you are being invited this week and which will bring together those Entities and Stakeholders which play a direct or indirect role in the employment of workers within Malta’s labour market.

c.  A national Conference which will take place on 17 November.

d.  The publication of a document including a summary of all proceedings and most importantly, tangible recommendations which will be presented to the highest national authorities and policy makers for their urgent consideration and implementation.

The 4 focus groups have taken place already.  These facilitated the collection of direct, detailed and frank feedback and opinions regarding the extent, causes and possible solutions to the problem at hand.  Around 50 employers from as many companies participated in the 4 focus groups which covered the following business sectors:

1. Transport,
2. Professional Services & ICT,
3. Tourism, Hospitality & Retail,
4. Manufacturing, Technical & Ancillary Services.

Contrary to the misconception that employers seek to employ TCNs for cost competitiveness reasons, the overwhelming opinion of companies participating in the focus groups is that their first preference for employment would be Maltese workers especially for certain client-facing positions where customer experience is key such as Tourism, Hospitality and Retail.  In general, Maltese workers are more loyal, easier to train and communicate with and do not bring permitting and accommodation complications.  Employers’ second preference are EU nationals as they can bring positive attitude, professionalism and technical skills to the workplace with minimal communication, permitting and accommodation challenges.  Faced with the fact that there are not enough Maltese workers to go round and that EU nationals are often attracted to other MS which offer a better “take-home pay” (net income less rent and cost of living), employers have few alternatives but to resort to TCNs.

The following report summarises the effects, possible causes and recommendations emerging from the focus groups.

2. Effects of Shortages

• Wage inflation is impacting cost competitiveness very negatively to the extent that certain businesses are closing down.
• Scarcity of staff is causing companies to turn away business.
• Shortage of staff is causing new businesses to postpone opening dates.
• Companies are less able to discipline their staff.
• Lower filtering process at recruitment stage is leading to a drop in standards.
• Less time for on-the-job training and induction at recruitment stage is also leading to a drop in standards.
• The scarcer the human resources become, the higher the pressure on existing workers and the greater the propensity to quit their jobs and this triggers the initiative to RELEASE idle resources in public sector to business.

3. Potential Causes

• Covid made people stop to reflect. It influenced people’s priorities and behaviours.  It brought about a change in work and new expectations in terms of work-life balance.
• Malta’s economy is widely diversified and is not strategically orientated towards focusing on one (or few) particular sector(s) therefore the demand for workers is varied and disproportionately large to the extent that the gaps in the labour market cannot be filled by Maltese workers.
• There is a disconnect between the Education Sector and Industry to the extent that the system is not producing the type of skills (and qualifications) required by private employers.
• Trade schools which were closed have not been adequately replaced so certain trades are dying out.
• Apprenticeship schemes are also very rare impacting very negatively on the employability of students upon leaving school.
• Besides, technical skills, Maltese workers lack soft-skills, pride and proper attitude towards work.
• Public sector attracting and employing people from the private sector offering more flexible work arrangements.
• There are bottlenecks in the permitting processes for foreign workers.  Applications mostly take 2-4 months to process, possibly due to lack of resources, duplicate applications and other bottlenecks.
• Many sectors (eg hospitality, language schools, aviation) lost up to 50 per cent of their workforce – either because TCNs return to their native countries or because the workers shifted to a more stable (recession-proof) sector.
• Negative perception of work experience in certain sectors such as hospitality, maritime, manufacturing, transport.
• Malta is become less attractive as a place of work for all categories of workers across the board. The main reason for this is cost of rent and cost of living. Other reasons include general cleanliness, shabby environment, overcrowding and xenophobia.

4. Preliminary Recommendations for the Immediate/Short Term:

4.1  Improving the system at ID Malta:

• ID Malta should hold regular communication with recruitment agencies.
• Increase dialogue with stakeholders and temping agencies.
• Student/Work visas should be issued for at least 6 months.
• Establishing a database/register where employers can search for employees.

4.2  Jobsplus:

• Jobsplus name should be changed to Career+ rather than jobs and therefore there was an agreement that we should start to PROMOTE careers not Jobs.
• Matching of workers with vacancies issued by businesses should be improved.
• Increase enforcement on individuals on Registry.

4.3  Enforcement:

• Capping on catering establishments.
• Quality checks.

4.4  Encouraging foreigners to settle in Malta:

• Improving Malta’s image as a Place of Work (improving the environment, promoting diversity and multiculturalism, etc.)
• Offering flexible solutions and improving working conditions.
• Developing a strategy on the number of people needed by industry.
• Enhance relocation packages offered to foreign workers to match those available in Ireland and other MS.
• Continuous training and support.

4.5  Changing the perception of the Maltese with regards to working in the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors:

• Education – ITS, Hospitality subjects, placements.
• Raising awareness of what type of jobs exist in the sectors.
• Guidance teachers.
• Mentoring.

4.6  Government to offer more generous conditions to encourage people of pensionable age to remain in employment.

4.7  Introduce a scheme to encourage people employed unproductively in the Public Sector to shift to the private sector.

4.8  Creating a common ground to measuring the gap in the industry:

• Vacancy Portal by sector.
• Companies’ reputation (word-of-mouth/referrals).
• Some vacancies are common e.g., compliance, management.

4.9  Keep the Specialised Training within Companies:

• Offering inhouse training courses.
• Making use of schemes offered by government and EU.

5.  Preliminary Recommendations for the Medium/Long Term:

Education

5.1  Implementation of strategies and policies in education:

• Increase discussion between academia and industry and this means that we definitely need to work harder to be able to CONNECT Academia to Industry.
• Awareness sessions for Guidance Teachers.
• Including certain subjects as part of the curricula e.g., basics of economics, STEM, maritime issues.
• Include training on soft-skills, interview-skills, decision-making, leadership and overall employability and therefore it’s imperative to INVEST in training and mentorship.

5.2  Placements & Internships:

• Enhance MCAST’s perception and profile.
• We should COMMITMENT to Work-based Learning.
• Partnership and Mentoring.
• Company visits for primary and secondary students.
• Awareness raising campaign e.g. STEM subjects for women, explaining what the jobs entail.

5.3  Studying Future Trends:

• What skills are needed in the future? Are courses being developed according to industry needs? E.g., Malta is pushing for hydrogen, but who is studying hydrogen?
• Accepting that locals do not want to do certain jobs – devising a strategy to attract foreign workers and keep them in the industry.

6.  Outcome of Stakeholders’ Seminar held at Parliament

The viewpoint of the entities concerned, mainly public sector but not exclusively, continued to emerge, as planned, from the Stakeholders’ Session held at Parliament on July 21.  The session also generated valuable opinions of the Speaker of the House as well as selected members of Government and the Opposition.

As outlined above, the feedback received from the Stakeholders’ Session would serve as further input to the process and to the National Conference to take place on the 17 November.  Such feedback also served to confirm the outcome of the working groups and the opinion of the private employers in many aspects.  The additional points emerging from the debate at Parliament are as follows:

6.1  General Observations

• The authorities clearly acknowledge the importance of people as one of the only resources at the disposal of the country for the generation of wealth.  It is further acknowledged that the economic transformation that the country so desperately needs much depends on the input of human resources.
• Less evident, however, appears the commitment to solve the persisting shortage of both workers and skills.

6.2  Observations on Digitalisation

• A vision amongst expressed MPs and certain entity representatives is for the country to embrace technology and digitalisation as a means to (a) neutralise the effects of loss of productivity due to shortage of manpower, (b) enhance competitiveness and (c) optimise output from other resources including energy.
• All advanced societies have a common denominator – in that they have embraced technology at the core of their progress.  Western societies are now orientating their journeys towards green growth and carbon neutrality.  It is crucial for Malta to follow the same path.
• There is a realisation that the country is facing the risk of a “new” skills gap in terms of digital skills and business re-engineering capabilities. We definitely need to CAPITALISE on Digital Skills.
• The country needs to distinguish between shortage of basic and specialised skills because the solutions to address both typologies of gaps are different. Special focus needs to be placed on digital skills because these are enabling talents relevant to all sectors as these undergo their necessary transformations.
• A Skills Census must be embarked upon to shed light on the current mobilisation of the sole national resource.

6.3  Observations on Strategy and the Role of Stakeholders

• Holistic economic blue-prints and industry strategies are required with ample nationwide visibility to guide students and stakeholders in their decisions and channelling of resources.  This will facilitate the mapping out of closing the gaps of future skills requirements as well as to foster structured linkages between industry, academia and civil society.
• We should STENGTHEN the regulators’ resources. Industry strategies require active, focused and effective regulators and industry representative organizations to drive and facilitate the realisation of plans and targets (it was mentioned that the maritime industry – as a systemically important sector – would benefit from a dedicated authority for the industry as opposed to transport as a whole.
• Stakeholders need to encompass forward looking industrial strategies.
• It is widely felt that more consolidation amongst stakeholders is required.  There is a general realisation that much research and effort is undertaken with the mobilisation of people and other resources but fragmentation of same hampers synergies, effectiveness and results.
• Some stakeholder representatives lamented the culture in this country whereby results are not pursued to the full.
• Other representatives and selected MPs suggested a “doing more with less approach” with the support of digital tools, business re-engineering and better management.  It was commented that economic expansion did not necessarily require additional people and that the current approach (of throwing people at solving capacity issues) was exacerbating the economic over-saturation problem.
• Future progress needs to be based on quality and increased value-added which can only be achieved by smart investment in technology.
• Post-Covid, workers are giving much more weight to flexible work arrangements (often before salary considerations).
• People need to be better incentivised to work beyond pensionable age and therefore we need to ENCOURAGE work beyond retirement.  The country needs to ensure that the knowledge, experience and skills of these people is appropriately transferred to new generations.

6.4  Observations on Education

• There is a general disillusionment amongst MPs from both sides of the House and public entity stakeholders with the education system and its performance track record.  The latter is evidenced by the relatively high number of early school leavers.
• General concern was expressed about the measured disparity between State/Church schools and Private institutions in terms of standards and results.
• Tracer studies are required to follow evaluate students career paths and establish correlation with academic studies.
• Improvement (or in certain cases a complete overhaul) in career guidance structures; the national curriculum and the lack of visibility it accords to certain important sectors such as maritime; vocational training and the void left by the closing of trade schools; work-based learning and apprenticeship structures; and LLL for re-skilling and upskilling as a means towards career progression and enhancing quality of life for recipients. In other words, this means that we should ENHANCE career guidance structures.
• Schooling experience needs to be improved and rendered challenging, interesting and more inclusive for the more academically-challenged in order to avoid drop-outs from the system whilst ensuring the churning out of different skills.
• In line with the nation’s vision, it is not acceptable for any section of the population to hold education in low regard and arrive at school-leaving age without basic language and mathematics skills.
• The new generation, today also lack knowledge when it comes to soft skills. We need to INSTIL attitude and soft skills in our children.
• There seems to be a lack of data on present and future skills requirements and gaps.
• The skills shortage has reached a critical stage in which it is severely hampering the availability of trainers and educators in such fields as ICT and maritime as education institutions struggle to recruit and keep qualified people to teach.  This is a serious development in that teachers act as multipliers and a source of future skills.

6.5  Some Specific Observations made by Government and Public-Sector Entity Representatives on Current and Planned Initiatives

IMA

• Provision of online platform to facilitate application process.
• Number of processed applications reached 60,000 in one year.
• Need to conduct thorough due diligence for issues of national security and EU Borders (Schengen) obligations.
• Commitment to process within 4 months allowed by EU Directives.
• Visa process (when required) is a separate process for which MFA is responsible.

Jobsplus

• Has provided €60m worth in training programmes aimed at re-skilling and upskilling purposes with a view to rectify skills-gap problem.
• Launched an online match-making platform to provide better visibility of available skills to employers.

ITS

• To assume an added role as a training centre to serve industry and existing staff.  In so doing, it will complement Jobsplus and will cater mainly for small employers with limited resources for training.
• Committed to enhance communication and linkages with industry.

MCAST

• By 2027, every course will include work-based-learning to render the qualification (and corresponding skills) more relevant to the labour market.
• Lecturers devote more time at workplaces to enable them to adjust their teaching
• content and approach.
• MCAST places around 430 apprentices every year, however more than 280 students remain unplaced and are still on the lookout for apprenticeship positions.
• The number of students is planned to double once work based learning extends to other levels. New approach renders students even more employable as they are given exposure to real-life work pressure.

DIER

• Published booklet on conditions of work in simple language, translated in Arabic and Somali languages and based on FAQs.
• Development of website for foreign workers based in Malta to guide and inform foreign workers on their rights.
• Multi-lingual cultural mediation services aimed at retaining acceptable standards whilst curbing risk of unlawful work practices.
• Commencement of “Fair Work” project aimed at reducing the risk of exploitation of workers.

MBR

• Simplification of processes underway via new digital system.
• MBR also offers training to companies and other stakeholders with the aim of achieving desired simplification results.

Foundation for Transport

• A Foundation which is an 18-month reality which through discussions in different for a, focus groups and surveys undertaken with companies of various sizes working within the transport section, there is a broad agreement that there are solutions we can achieve together.

MaritimeMT

• One of the requests submitted to the Government is to restore a Maritime Authority focused solely on the enlargement and administration of this sector. There is now a concentrated effort between the social partners to agree together on a national policy and strategy for the maritime sector.

Malta Enterprise

• Time has come to a high-level entity or any other kind that drives challenges forward, which brings on an equal footing the academic world and the industrial world and is truly led to a challenge that we ultimately need to seriously discuss.

Enemed

• Enemed supports the drive towards renewed focus on vocational education in trades where there is currently a strong vacuum. EneMed is committed to contribute actively towards the strategy of re-establishing priorities and necessities in education.

MCA

• Over the past years, we have undertaken a number of resources and initiatives aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses to raise awareness in a rather dynamic and challenging market. We are designing a number of schemes and projects targeting the sectors in which MCA operates. Regulations such as Eidas and the Digital Services Act.

6.6  Observations made by Opposition Representatives

• Students’ success should not be measured by academic results and university degrees.  Other paths are equally acceptable as long as one’s job provides fulfilment to oneself and value to the employer/society.
• The need to improve industry-academia linkages is evident.  To this end, a Skills Governing body could be established to serve as a national coordinator between academia and industry for the development of skills.  Continuous research on the evolving needs of industry will support the work of this Body.  The Body will also be responsible for mapping and forecasting capabilities which are needed to indicate present and future industry requirements.
• The prevailing situation in literacy and early school leaving results is not acceptable.
• The National Curriculum needs to be extended and enhanced to cover future-needed skills.  Better fiscal and other measures including tax breaks (5 year) are required to IMPROVE Malta’s attractiveness as a place of work for talented/specialised categories of workers – which attractiveness is being eroded as highlighted above.
• Jobsplus to introduce skills-cards for all occupations involving prior learning recognition.  The skills cards will recognise informal qualifications based on experience and will serve as a qualification benchmark for employers.
• Recent measures introduced to comply with the EU’s Work Life Balance Directive are to be paid for entirely by the State to free resources in the private sector for investment in skills and new technologies.

A number of the above recommendations may already be in force but if so, the current predicament shows that they are not effective enough.

7.  Conclusions and MEA Position

A national concerted effort and political will to solve the current shortages predicament is required in order for the country to bridge the current skills gap afflicting Maltese employers to the extent of raising serious concerns about competitiveness and business continuity risks and therefore we should PRIORITISE risk assessment for future competitiveness.

In a recent survey 53% of respondents claimed that this predicament was exerting a “Heavy impact on their business including serious disruption on their operations and stretched out resources.  A further 12% responded that the impact on their business was “severe” to the extent that business continuity was severely at risk.   Workers’ new priorities in favour of flexible work arrangements, particularly post-pandemic further exacerbate the challenge ahead for employers.

The initiatives and recommendations made by the MEA are intended to alleviate the adverse situation in the short term and facilitate long-term solutions. If the current situation is allowed to extend to the longer-term, it will invariably- leading to an erosion of standards and wage inflationary pressures. Wage hikes that are absorbed internally may deprive companies from precious capital and resources that would otherwise be channelled towards, training, innovation and technology. These investments represent crucial compensatory measures for skill shortages and are fundamental to the resilience and long-term prospects of our companies.

The MEA recognises the need for economic transformation in favour of digitalisation and decarbonisation.  Such transformation rests on the optimum balance of human and technological resources although the country must plan adequately ahead to ensure the required quantity and quality of skills to drive the transformation forward.  The digitalisation challenge, in itself, risks bringing with it a new dimension of skills gap which the country must find itself adequately prepared to face.

Further economic development and future advancement for the country, besides that we need to ENSURE business stability through good governance, requires the ironing out of current and future skills gaps according to the short-term measures and longer-term recommendations being made above.

The 13 mission Statements

1. PROMOTE CARREERS NOT JOBS
2. INVEST IN TRANING AND MENTORSHIP
3. CONNECT ACADEMIA TO INDUSTRY
4. ENCOURAGE WORK BEYOND RETIREMENT
5. ENHANCE CAREER GUIDANCE STRUCTURES
6. INSTIL SOFT SKILLS AND POSITIVE ATTITUDES IN OUR CHILDREN
7. IMPROVE MALTA’S ATTRACTIVENESS AS A PLACE TO WORK
8. RELEASE IDLE RESOURCES IN PUBLIC SECTOR TO BUSINESS
9. COMMIT MORE IN WORK-BASED-LEARNING
10. CAPITALISE ON DIGITAL SKILLS
11. STRENGTHEN THE REGULATORS’ RESOURCES
12. PRIORITISE RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR FUTURE COMPETITIVENESS
13. ENSURE BUSINESS STABILITY THROUGH GOOD GOVERNANCE

Theme video electronic link: FORUM NAZZJONALI TAN-NEGOZJI ŻGĦAR 2022

Stakeholders’ session – whole-event link: https://youtu.be/5WC_NRAh1q4

As a follow-up to the 4 focus group meetings, and once again part of the PROAction project, the Malta Employers’ Association, organised a Stakeholders’ Seminar which brought together national Entities and relevant stakeholders which play a direct or indirect role in the employment of workers within Malta’s labour market.  This Stakeholders’ Seminar took place at the Parliament Building in Valletta, on Thursday 21st July 2022.

The event intention was, to share experiences and generate tangible proposals from amongst those present with the intention to iron-out current frictions which are compromising the supply and recruitment of workers through positive and responsible discussion. Your input towards a constructive way forward is most appreciated.

The Malta Employers Association has launched an extensive and wide-ranging dialogue with employers’ representatives in a conscious and proactive effort designed to address the urgent-most challenge currently faced by local businesses.  The shortage of workers and skills, is in fact raising business continuity concerns whilst posing serious risks to competitiveness at the micro and macro levels.

The intention of the MEA was to share with a number of competent authorities and stakeholders, the salient views and recommendations emerging from the focus groups.   The outcome of the focus groups together with that from this Stakeholders Seminar served as an important basis for the discussion during a National SME Forum which the MEA was planning to hold on the 17th November 2022

As a forward-looking organisation, the MEA, through the PROACTION initiative continues to aspire and propose tangible solutions to sustain Malta’s drive towards competitiveness and renewed growth.  Concretely, our Association is eager to contribute to the solution by mapping out the fundamental processes and pillars that need to be set in place to ensure a smooth functioning of the labour market now and in the years to come where business needs match the ambitious aspirations of our future work-force.

SMEs National Forum 2022 – Media Coverage Report

SMEs National Forum 2022 – Promo

SMEs National Forum 2022 – Theme video

SMEs National Forum 2022 – Main Conference –part 1 & part 2

SMEs National Forum 2022 – post-event video production

In line with its remit to offer guidance and leadership to the Maltese business community, the Malta Employers’ Association (MEA) in collaboration with the Ministry for the Economy, European Funds and Lands, and other stakeholders, once again organised a national event during the SME Week in November 2022.

As part of the PROAction initiative, this SMEs National Forum was dedicated to “Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness”, a theme deemed by the Association to be of critical urgency and importance to Maltese Employers in all business sectors.  A combination of demand and supply factors has led to a shortfall of skills in the local labour market which has afflicted Malta-based companies, posing serious risks to their business continuity and competitiveness position.

The event proposed by the MEA, therefore, aimed at taking stock of the current situation and proposing concrete and lasting solutions to avoid further hardships.  At the same time, the event discussed the importance of alignment between industry and academia as well as forecasting techniques to ensure a steady flow of human resources with relevant skills for Maltese companies in the years to come.

To this end, an extensive research and consultation process was planned in advance of this November event.  In this regard, during the summer months, the MEA held a series of focus groups aimed at taking stock of the challenges and priorities in terms of skills availabilities in key economic sectors.

The stakeholders’ meeting followed and a dossier was compiled

Then this was scrutinised by four experts and during the SMEs National forum 4 workshops were conducted whereby the discussion continued.

Further to the SMEs National Forum 2022 event and related to the MEA PROAction initiative, the MEA decided to present the information, data, best-practice and recommendations to the President of Malta with a view to receive his endorsement and request his patronage to future initiatives organised under the MEA PROAction project.

The decision to call solely on the President of the Republic was made in a conscious effort to ensure that this crucial message for the sustainable development of Malta would not be politicised during the middle of an electoral campaign.

Link to an electronic version of the publication.

As a continuation of the PROAction initiative, The Malta Employers Association was proud to present this publication which is the result of several months of work, research and discussion spread over a number of initiatives taking place between June-November 2022 with a view to “Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness”.

The MEA responded to employers’ plight in the face of prolonged and acute shortage of workers and skills in the local labour market, which situation was brought about by several contributing factors.  Amid concerns about the continuity, competitiveness and future of Maltese businesses the MEA sought to embark on a string of initiatives to map out a way forward to ensure that the labour market is aligned to the present and future needs of industry as the latter as companies embrace innovation and technology and prepare to digitalise their business-plans as they strive to mitigate their risks and render their businesses future-proof.

The research started in June with a series of Focus groups held to facilitate the collection of direct, detailed and frank opinions of employers regarding the extent, causes and possible solutions to the challenges at hand.  Around 50 employers from as many companies participated in the 4 focus groups which covered the following business sectors:

• Transport,
• Professional Services & ICT,
• Tourism, Hospitality & Retail, and
• Manufacturing, Technical and Ancillary services

The outcome of the focus groups then fed into a Stakeholders Seminar held on 21st July in the Plenary Hall of Parliament during a special event presided by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Anglu Farrugia.  The event brought together representatives from over 60 representatives of national entities and organisations with a remit in the areas of employment, training, education and other ancillary services within Malta’s labour market.  These included Jobsplus, MCAST, Institute for Tourism Studies, Identity Malta Agency, MaritimeMT, Enemed, Malta Enterprise, Business First, Malta Business Registry, Malta Communications Authority, Eskills Malta Foundation and Foundation for Transport amongst others.

In all of this, the aim of the MEA was to create a structured and constructive dialogue between the private sector and all competent authorities to arrive at the necessary solutions together.

In the words of the MEA President Ms Joanne Bondin, “The country needs a clear strategy with practical solutions where key stakeholders work together towards a common objective”.

As part of the PROAction project, the above initiatives led the MEA to make 13 key recommendations towards reversing the factors which were identified to contribute to the shortage of skills.  These recommendations were presented and discussed at the MEA’s 2022 SMEs National Forum which represented the apex of the Association’s events series themed “Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness”.  This flagship event which incorporated keynote speeches, workshops, videos and panel discussions served to outline the plans of public and private sector entities with a focus on bringing the 13 recommendations to fruition.

This publication elaborates on these recommendations and serves as documented evidence of the efforts expanded by the Malta Employers’ Association towards “Ensuring the Skills for Future Competitiveness”.

Project Overview

As part of its PROAction Initiative to leverage its networks and resources to re-package its business-support services in a post-Covid Scenario, the Malta Employers Association launched an EU-Funded Project called “Regeneration Plan for Workplaces”.

This Project, in fact, complements previous MEA endeavours in that it aims to ensure that companies work hand in hand with employees when implementing business transformation programmes.   The project therefore aims to address the facilitation of change management which has become more necessary than ever before in a post-COVID scenario in order to ascertain a company’s resilience, competitiveness and sustainability.

The Project aims at identifying bottlenecks in business transformation processes created by weak planning or communication between management and employees.  It will seek to devise and propose concrete recommendations for management to enhance their engagement with employees through communication and training with a view to ensure that employees are fully engaged, trained and motivated to implement the change process within Maltese and European Companies.  These recommendations will be contained in a Manual which is elaborated upon below and which will support other tangible outcomes emerging from other actions taken under the MEA’s PROAction Initiative.

The Project entails a three-part journey. Firstly, a desk and field research, whereby primary and research was combined through a survey of 150 companies and an equal number of employees across Malta.  The research conducted also included an employer round table dialogue, whereby three events were held with a variety of companies from the Hospitality & Tourism, Wholesale & Retail and Professional Services business sectors.  A repeat of these round tables is envisaged after the conclusion of the surveys to discuss the results.

As hinted above, a tangible deliverable of this Project will be the compilation of a Manual which will include templates of policy drafting, managerial strategies and business models that build on best practices and lessons learnt from the primary and secondary research.  The Manual is intended to serve as a step-by-step guide for companies to utilize during their business transformation and/or upgrading processes.

A further two separate events will then follow to conclude the Project.  Firstly, a Workshop will be organised in Brussels by the Project Partner SGI Europe with the aim of improving procedures for consulting the social partners at national level by collecting expertise and post-Covid experiences from European cross-sectoral and national social partners.

A Final Conference will be held in Malta on 26 October.  Entitled ‘Resilience to Change’, the national conference will be organised on the fringes of SME Week (another link in the PROACTION Initiative) and will present the project results. The conference will bring all stakeholders together in order to explore the findings, challenges and results of the project. The Conference to be held in October will present a final opportunity for interactive debate, knowledge sharing and transfer of best practice.

The Manual that will be produced as a result of this project will serve as a valuable tool for the MEA and will complement the Association in its day-to-day operations offering added value to its members under the PROAction Initiative.  It will be used to provide guidance and support to members as they navigate the challenges of adaption to new and improved business models. The manual will be designed to help companies build strong and sustainable strategies that increase their resilience to potential shocks.

The MEA’s PROAction Initiative is designed to support business transformation in a post-COVID world. Transformation projects are necessary in every business and their benefits are visible and tangible for both the employer and the employee because they bring about new efficiencies, resilience and sustainability.  Providing clear and actionable guidance, the Manual and other deliverables from the “Regeneration Plan for Workplaces” Project will help companies to overcome challenges and build a future-proof business model that can weather any storm.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on businesses worldwide, including the manufacturing industry and labor market. As part of the PROAction initiative, the Malta Employers’ Association and SGI Europe analyzed such impact and observations of some companies during their national round tables. The report on the national round tables highlights how COVID-19 affected the manufacturing industry’s productivity and the labor market. Companies noted a shift towards remote working and flexible hours, but challenges remain in maintaining communication and company culture. The report also focuses on the initiatives taken by various companies to address these challenges, including training programs and multiculturalism awareness. Companies need to be flexible and adaptable to address challenges effectively. The report also highlights the current state of the transport and logistics industry in Malta, with companies sharing their experiences during and after the pandemic. The Foundation of Transport and GreenSkip Services highlighted the importance of waste management at a green level, while Aviaserve emphasized the need for digitization to make staff more efficient.

The focus of the EU-funded project led by the Malta Employers’ Association, as part of the PROAction initiative, is a Regeneration Plan for Workplaces. As part of this initiative, the association is conducting research to identify obstacles that arise in business transformation due to inadequate planning or communication between management and employees. To achieve this, the association has designed a survey that seeks feedback from participants on the importance of collaboration between employers and employees. The goal is to establish a strengthened business operation that is both relevant and sustainable. Respondents can expect the survey to take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete, and their anonymity is guaranteed.  The survey focused on the essential business considerations related to the company’s structure, people, technology, strategy, and other resources, which ultimately must work efficiently together to ensure the organization meets its goals. Finally, the survey will be serving as a practical guide for businesses during their transformation and/or upgrading processes.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTt5SNpPBGPMn-S_tjdbmB2gqsftGlwbDWMNJly8coOKpuWQ/viewform

As MEA, we feel that it is our obligation to conclude the Project with a comprehensive conference that involves various stakeholders. This conference serves as a platform to discuss and analyze the outcomes of the Project and provide a proper introduction to the Manual. The Manual, as MEA opted for it, has been developed as a tangible deliverable that aims to offer employers and employees a concrete framework to follow, especially if they encounter any doubts after the completion of the Project. The development of the Manual is an essential part of the Project, and its purpose is to provide a comprehensive guide that outlines the key principles, processes, and strategies that were implemented during the Project’s execution. Moreover, it acts as a roadmap that offers guidance on how to navigate and overcome challenges that may arise in the workplace, with a focus on promoting effective communication, collaboration, and productivity. Therefore, the conference that marks the end of the Project is a crucial event that provides an opportunity to showcase the results and findings of the Project, while also introducing the Manual to the stakeholders. The Manual, in turn, serves as a tangible and lasting reminder of the Project’s significance and impact, helping to ensure that its benefits are sustained over time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9S2NmtF_Og

The MEA HR online Handbook, which saw its inception 14 years ago, presently consists of an online platform made up of 39 chapters on employment related topics. Innovative in its format, the Handbook is a source of information that helps entrepreneurs to offer proper guidance and enhance their relationship between management and employees.

Within these 39 chapters, one can find more than 400 FAQs related to different topics.

As part of MEA’s PROAction initiative, following the outbreak of the pandemic, and in response to the high demand of queries in relation to changes in conditions of employment, MEA has added a separate section on how management can deal with issues raised during COVID-19.

Being seen as a best practice of how business support organisations like MEA can assist SMEs in dealing with COVID-19, the Handbook has been recognised and advertised amongst international partners like IOE and BUSINESSMED, and MEA has been praised on how innovative it is offering its assistance.

It is estimated that in the last 5 years, 10,000 visitors accessed and made use of this online tool.

 Amongst the new Topics within this HR Handbook, one would be able to access chapters on:

• Employing persons beyond pensionable age
• Employing underage persons
• Training and Development
• The Right to Disconnect
• The Work life Balance Directive
• Employment and Mental Health
• Platform Work, zero-hour contracts
• Equal Pay for work of Equal Value
• Harassment
• The Industrial Tribunal
• Applying for EU Funds

Award in Employment Law Course

The aim of this course is to provide participants with a good working knowledge of the local legislation belonging to employment and industrial relations, including the main changes in the employment legislation. It also determines the extensive factors for an understanding of the rights and obligations of workers and their employers. The Employment and Industrial Relations Act, 2002 and the various regulations which followed is the main focus of the course, and it guides participants through the principles of effective employment practices. This method enables them to understand various implications of employer employee relations.

The course is an MQF Level 5 Award accredited by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education

Employment: Fiscal & Practical Considerations Course

This course is organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers, in collaboration with the Malta Employers’ Association.

The main objective of this course is to engage participants into the legislative and technical aspects of payroll computation. Topics covered through the course include payroll management which involves knowledge about the complexities of income tax computations, social security, exemptions and other employer obligations involved in the correct computation of different aspects of remuneration. Participants learn about taxation and other compliance issues which form an intricate element of employing people.

Award in Current Employment Matters – Legal Perspective

Employing people is becoming increasingly challenging and requires specific knowledge about many current and emerging situations. Changing work organisation; sourcing foreign human resources; data protection issues; social media within the workplace are amongst the many issues that are being faced by companies in their engagement with their employees, thus adding to the complexity of the employer/employee relationship.

The Malta Employers’ Association is organising this course to address these matters concretely through the involvement of professionals who are specialised in their respective fields. It will consist of focused sessions during which participants will

engage with the trainers to relate the contents of the lectures with their own context and experiences. This course is thus aimed at HR practitioners, employers and persons who are responsible for the HR function within micro organisations.

Successful participants will be given an Award certificate with the equivalent of 3 ECTS at MQF level 5.

Award in Human Resources Management in Practice Course

The course is an MQF Level 5 Award accredited by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education.

The aim of this course is to equip participants with knowledge and skills associated to the HR function. Taught by 19 different tutors with high experience in the field, this course covers topics like Social Dialogue, Corporate Social Responsibility, Discipline & Dealing with Dismissals, Managing a Diverse Workforce, Recruitment & Selection, Basics of Occupational Health & Safety, amongst others. The idea behind the development of this course was to create a space where students, most of which are HR practitioners themselves, can share the challenges and experiences of their work, and learn from experts in the field on how to apply management strategies and practices.

Award in Leading People at the Workplace

The course is an MQF Level 5 Award accredited by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education. It is being delivered and awarded by New Horizons (Institute for Work Competencies), in collaboration with the Malta Employers’ Association.

This course focuses on giving participants the essential skills and competences needed for effective leadership. It is aimed at line managers and supervisors.

The MEA PROAction initiative incorporates the continuous dissemination of information to our members and beyond. One of MEA’s communication vehicles is the meaindex online platform.

As from its inception, so-far we managed to publish through the current news section, nothing less than 350 business related stories.  During these last 15 months we sent nothing less than 25 email alerts, alerting subscribers with latest developments. Lately we managed to attract more entities to become collaborative partners. These were: MDB, NFDIS, Tech.MT, OCVO, Identity Malta Agency, Foundation for Transport and MMF.

In all, so-far we managed to engage 17 other entities to become as meaindex collaborative partners.

As from June 2018 (the date of the meaindex inception), till now we proudly announce that we already reached:

Meaindex online platform services are continuously being offered to SMEs with the support of 17+ other entities referred to as other main collaborative partners.

The MEA TV Programme “MEA” is being broadcasted on TVMnews+ every Tuesday at 19.05 hrs, with various repeats throughout the week.

As part of MEA PROAction initiative, these last 15 months we produced nothing less than 39 episodes, while throughout the last ten years we managed to produce more than 250 programmes.

https://youtu.be/zszbmAsvAxM

We believe that the programmes broadcasted, have reached their intended objective, namely by serving as a vehicle to encourage entrepreneurs to act with a pro-active approach and to project a positive image of employers by:

• Informing and educating the audience about labour market and economic issues
• Guiding them to be able to organise a regeneration plan for their respective workplaces
• Communicating and explaining their position on various aspects of labour market matters
• Publicising examples of positive employment practices by companies operating in Malta

All programmes may be viewed on our Youtube channel.

PROAction initiative embraces also the continuous link between the MEA and its members and beyond. This mission is being achieved by organising various webinars on regular basis and by digital communication, through our Electronic UPDATES.

In just 15 months MEA issued nothing less than 40 electronic updates and organised a number of webinars, amongst one with the Vat Department, with New Horizons, and with Identity Malta Agency.

As part of the PROAction initiative and as a result of one of the 13 recommendations we had mentioned during last November’s event, now on the 4^th May an information session was organised, with the participation of more than 200 attendees and a flowchart was announced and published to facilitate foreign workers job engagement.

During the same event, which was held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, an MoU was also signed between MEA and IMA as part of the Meaindex collaborative partnership agreement.

Employers will have easier access to simplified information about the recruitment of foreign workers

View the Flowchart here.

A collaboration agreement between Identity Malta Agency and the Malta Employers’ Association will result in employers and businesses in Malta being provided with simplified information and kept updated on any changes related to the Residence Permits processes and other documents in the recruitment process of foreign workers from both EU and non-EU countries.

Identity Malta Agency’s Chief Executive Officer Colonel Mark Mallia and President of the Malta Employers’ Association Ms Joanne Bondin signed a collaboration agreement at an event held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, allowing Identity Malta to provide up-to-date information on the processes related to Residence Permits. As a result of this agreement, employers will have access to simplified and relevant information on the Meaindex.com digital platform, which is meant to guide employers. The Malta Employers’ Association will keep its members up to date on changes in processes connected to the hiring of foreign workers, and this information will be easily accessible.

This agreement is part of the Agency’s and the Association’s joint effort to make simplified information on the processes associated with residence permits, available to the association’s members.

During this same event, Identity Malta Agency officials detailed the rigorous processes of applying for residence permits. Thanks to a new flowchart, the employer will have clear guidelines to understand precisely what is required at each stage of the application process, the documents that must be submitted, the waiting period while the required application is being assessed, and which criteria are expected to be observed to speed up the application process.

Colonel Mark Mallia, CEO of Identity Malta Agency, emphasised that with this agreement, the agency and the organisation are continuing to work together to streamline processes for all organisations. Additionally, he described how the agency regularly meets with various social partners to listen to these stakeholders’ opinions. Colonel Mallia reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to providing businesses and employers with effective and secure ways to hire foreign workers while also preserving the security of our nation and the integrity of Malta’s immigration system.

Joseph Farrugia, Director General of the Malta Employers’ Association, declared that MEA made various suggestions in November of last year. Among various other suggestions, the MEA urged the Government to enhance regulatory organisations, so they can better meet the demand with greater effectiveness.

The President of the Malta Employers’ Association, Joanne Bondin, stated that by signing this agreement, MEA is committing to continuing to serve as a bridge between employers and regulatory institutions, so that together they can continue to offer our country a competitive market in an increasingly dynamic economy that is presenting unprecedented challenges.

“Whether we agree or not, the country has reached a point where the country is unable to operate without importing foreign workers. It is the responsibility of all social partners to cooperate and work together to recognise and achieve the required balance in having both Maltese and foreign workers in the local labour market,” Ms Bondin concluded.

This initiative, which was launched on September 26th 2022, aligns perfectly within the ongoing MEA PROAction project.  Workplace engagement and satisfaction should be based on a healthy two-way relationship whereby employees are given the tools necessary for them to reach their full potential, and as a result of this, a company can continue to thrive.”

Some results so far:

• 322 people completed the satisfaction survey on the Satisfaction on-line platform during its testing phase
• 183 employers participated in information events to learn more about the platform
• 12 multiplier organisations from 6 EU countries have also shown interest in the platform and have further promoted it to their members

SATISF’ACTION employee assessment digital toolbox launch

What better way to celebrate the International Week of Happiness at Work 2022 than launching a toolbox for employee satisfaction assessment? Yesterday’s launch event was aimed at managers and directors of small companies and organisations who wish to improve staff engagement and retention in their organizations, as part of the project ‘’Small companies care about employee satisfaction” (SATISF’ACTION) co-funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. The event was organised by the International Integrity Foundation (IIF), in collaboration with Malta Employers’ Association and eSkills Malta Foundation at the premises of the Malta Employer’s Association in Valletta.

The speakers at the event included Human Resources specialists and directors of small organisations in Malta who shared various experiences and good practice examples.

The event was opened by Joanne Bondin, President of the Malta Employer’s Association and Director at MISCO Malta, who highlighted that “this initiative fits perfectly within the ongoing MEA PROACTION project and workplace engagement and satisfaction should be based on a healthy two-way relationship whereby employees are given the tools necessary for them to reach their full potential, and as a result of this, a company can continue to thrive.”

Anamaria Magri Pantea, Secretary General of the International Integrity Foundation, introduced the project activities, the key findings of a survey on the employee satisfaction situation Malta and the main components of the digital toolbox enabling better, easier and cheaper employee satisfaction assessment in small organizations. Thanks to EU co-financing, this toolbox is made available free of charge to small enterprises.

This was followed by a panel discussion which included speakers such as Dr. Claire Cassar, Director, D4N6 Ltd. and Moving Ads Malta Ltd., Peter-Jan Grech, CEO & Founder, BRND WGN, Ghita Ramdhiansing, HR coach & Co-founder Clearwater, Carm Cachia, Chief Administrator, eSkills Malta Foundation, Dr. Charlotte Camilleri, EU & Legal Affairs Executive, Malta Employers’ Association.

Anamaria stressed that ” in today’s context of staff deficit in most of the sectors, the success of any organisation is strongly affected by the satisfaction of its employees. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs are more committed and productive, more likely to stay with an organization and even recommend to others to work in it. Therefore, paying due attention to employee satisfaction is key in addressing the staff crunch faced by most organizations in Malta.’’

Carm Cachia, the Chief Administrator of eSkills Malta foundation, also pointed out that “this HR Tool is launched at the right time. The tool can become a key component to ensure a good level of job satisfaction which would eventually attract potential employees and retain existing ones”.

The MEA PROAction project incorporates also the initiative of offering the opportunity to our members, to meet top officials from various entities face to face in one-to-one meetings organised at our premises in Valletta. For these occasions, top officials from various entities, offer to be present at our premisses and hold individual meetings by appointments with employers. Amongst those entities who accepted to give these personalised appointments, we already hosted, the Family Business Office, Jobsplus, Top Officials from the CFR and lately also from Identity Mala Agency. This exercise is facilitating communication to various employers and guide them how to adopt a proactive approach in dealing with the challenges they may be encountering. MEA acts a facilitator to provide accessibility to employers to such entities which may not be available to provide direct one-to-one attention otherwise.

MEA, through its SME Helpdesk is also a full member of two important organisations. We are members on the executive board for the Malta Business Disability Forum and the MEA has been a co-founder of the Foundation for Transport which was established in 2021.

On both boards, MEA always pushes forward the PROAction mindset and insists that the 13 recommendations launched during the SMEs National Forum 2022 will remain our benchmark guidelines on which we formulate our future strategies.

In fact, the Foundation for Transport has effectively taken on board one of the 13 recommendations. It has taken the recommendation “promote careers not jobs” and has developed an awareness campaign for careers in the transport sector. One can see how this is being achieved through these sample promo links listed below:

https://youtu.be/gjqh3QIELfo

https://youtu.be/fRPbjIujehA

https://youtu.be/3XwdirQjGNg

https://youtu.be/rmyWsdhpKL0

https://youtu.be/gfOAkoajp5w

MEA’s active participation in MCESD meetings remains crucial to be able to sound the employers’ voice whenever there is the need.

Even here, MEA is well known as a proactive stakeholder that is able to bring forward challenges being faced in the local market and put on the National agenda issues which need attention. With the PROAction initiative frame of mind, MEA’s representatives on this board are continuously representing employers’ interests especially business entrepreneurs as key players within a dynamic labour market in today’s the fast-moving economy.

This is being done with a persisting and proactive approach to save guard companies’ competitiveness.

MEA is engaged with a number of International Organisations that deal with subjects that affect MEA members and interests. Through these for a, MEA participates in a number of debates where it shares its believes and experiences and enhances its knowledge through other countries’ best practices. MEA’s top officials are invited to deliver speeches at these fora and such speeches resonate the need of how employers must remain resilient and how, within fast-evolving economies, SMEs must be innovative and creative to face challenges and turn them into opportunities and whilst remain competitive in their respective labour market.

MEA Delegation at ILO Conference

Address by Mr. Joseph Farrugia Employers’ Delegate – Malta.

One of the buzz-words frequently used today is the ‘new normal’, which assumes that following a period of crisis, the world will settle at some form of stability. Yet the experience of the past years points towards an ever-shifting environment with change being the only constant. The human experience across the globe is becoming increasingly interconnected, with developments in one area sending ripples across the economic, socio-political and natural environment that connects all of us.

Malta has weathered the brunt of the COVID crisis through well- designed fiscal interventions that managed to retain people in employment. This resulted from a successful tripartite effort that minimised the adverse impact of the pandemic on workers, enterprises and society in general. Social dialogue will continue to play a key role in addressing many issues arising in the labour market, amongst them a shortage of labour in many sectors, the need for economic transformation, digitalisation, emerging forms of employment relationships and work organisation. Also, our governance structures have to be supported by strong enforcement.

Social partners need to share a common effort to ensure that these transitions work in the mutual interests of employees and companies. One of the immediate threats currently facing our economy is inflation. Although the full inflationary pressure of increases in the price of energy and basic commodities is being suppressed through government subsidies, enterprises are still being affected by rising costs of material and wages. The strengthening of social dialogue, through free association and capacity building, is paramount in designing growth pathways that reconcile economic imperatives with well-being. This is a great challenge in a small island economy with a high population density and limited natural resources.

The success of such dialogue strongly depends on having a global perspective, given the openness of the Maltese economy and its exposure to international events. The Sustainable Development Goals set up in 2015 by the UN General Assembly, together with the ILO Centenary Declaration, provide optimistic and interlinked goals that shine against a bleak backdrop of contemporary realities. More people in the world are living in extreme poverty and experiencing hunger, than there were a few years ago. Such developments cannot be perceived to be just regional issues, as their ramifications are experienced everywhere. We see them in Malta through the migration flows across the Mediterranean.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, besides being an existential threat to Ukranians, is a humanitarian disaster that has disrupted supply chains everywhere, presenting the danger of a food crisis that may result in inflationary effects in some countries, and famine in others.

Looking at this dreary scenario, one cannot help but support the appeal made by the ILO Director General in his report when he states that: ‘the intent must be to rescue the sustainable development goals, not to abandon them’. Inasmuch as one can draw parallels between the current global crisis and the image of the apocalyptic horsemen spreading war, famine, death and pestilence, the SDGs offer a beacon of hope for all humanity to achieve a better and sustainable future. The declaration of Philadelphia, signed in 1944, which establishes that: ‘poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere’ perhaps rings more true today than it ever has. The ILO’s relevance is as strong as ever, as it stands for a tripartite effort aimed at creating an enabling environment that generates decent work as a means of eradicating poverty and conflict. In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr. Guy Ryder for his strong leadership during the past ten years, and wish Mr. Houngbo a successful tenure as ILO Director General.

MEA’s PROAction project, as we already mentioned, is an ongoing initiative, and continuously the Malta Employers’ Association through it’s SME Helpdesk are still busy building up on what has already been done and are looking forward to strengthen more tangible actions which address challenges within our dynamic economy. Amongst these challenges, which MEA PROAction initiative will be addressing one could mention the Low Birth Rate issue, and how foreign workers are affecting our Labour Market.

Two other National events, which will be organised by the MEA in the coming weeks.

Malta’s Low Birth Rate – An Existential Challenge will be a seminar scheduled to take place at the House of the Representatives within the Parliament of Malta next July, whilst the Foreign Works’ impact on SMEs will be this year’s SMEs National Forum main topic.

This year’s SMEWEEK Event will take place at the link Hall in Zejtun, and will be happening on the 26^th October 2023.

As part of MEA PROAction initiative, this year, MEA will be tackling the issue of Foreign Workers, especially TCNs and how they are impacting our economy and SMEs in general.

The event will go into issues related to logistics, how TCNs are filling this gap and how sufficient the services are being rendered.

Foundation for Transport