Government commissions skills survey

A government-commissioned survey outlining what jobs will be needed in the country over the next five years will be published by the beginning of June, Investments Minister Austin Gatt said.

Dr Gatt was addressing members of the business community at a Vodafone economic forum at the Radisson SAS Baypoint, in St Julians, when the minister was fielding questions about SmartCity. Those present showed most interest in what kind of international business the Dubai-based Tecom Investments were likely to generate, when the information technology city was likely to be up and running and what skills would be needed.

The study should give a good idea of what skills local companies will need till 2012, though this would not take into account 5,600 jobs the Ricasoli city is meant to generate, Dr Gatt said.

When asked what kind of skills or specialisations would be required for SmartCity, Dr Gatt said this was still unclear at this point because it depended on which companies would invest in Malta after being contracted by Tecom. "I don't know who is coming over and I don't know what skills they would want.

Companies will not come here because they like Malta but because it is attractive for them to invest and make money," the minister said. Of course, it was in the interest of companies and Tecom Investments to help Malta but, ultimately, they were here to make a profit. No company was obliged to employ Maltese workers even if it would suit them if they did.

If there is a shortage of skills the companies at SmartCity would have no problem importing labour from the EU, Dr Gatt said. He insisted, however, that skills in IT should be developed independently of SmartCity.

Asked when the first companies would be able to start operating, Dr Gatt said the investors had committed themselves to have the first part of the project up and running 18 months after the full development permit is issued.

The outline development permit would be filed at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority by June at the latest. Since Tecom Investments, in conjunction with Mepa, had carried out a lot of preliminary studies before the signing of the contract, the project would go through the entire planning process and be granted a permit some time after December. That would mean that the first part of SmartCity could be ready by mid-2009, Dr Gatt said.