Malta has the joint highest number of young people who delay seeking independence by continuing to live with their parents, a European study has found.
The top position is shared with Slovenia where 85 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 refuse to leave the nest, marking a slow transition into adulthood.
Eurofound’s Yearbook 2013 on the situation in the EU’s 28 member states pins this slow shift to unemployment, which “disempowers the young”, preventing them from achieving economic independence.
There is the tradition to choose the comfortable option
“Difficulty finding work has prolonged and complicated the transition from education to employment for young people in recent years,” the report says.
However, in Malta, this may not be the necessarily case, according to Anna Borg, from the University of Malta’s Centre for Labour Studies.
“Delayed independence in Malta is not automatically linked to unemployment, as there is the tradition for young people to choose the comfortable option of remaining at home until they get married,” Dr Borg told The Sunday Times of Malta.
Latest figures for youth unemployment in Malta stands at just over 14 per cent for those aged 15 to 24 and 4.7 per cent for those over 25.
This is a stark difference to countries such as Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain where fewer than 50 per cent enter the labour market within one year of leaving their education. At the other end of the spectrum is Finland where just 15 per cent of young people still live with their parents.
The survey on living and working conditions in Europe puts flesh on the statistics compiled after unemployment in the EU started to stabilise in the spring of 2013.
It aims to provide the knowledge that policymakers need to develop a plan of action to tackle the social and work-related challenges facing Europe today.
Examining the satisfaction of young people, the study found that among 18- to 29-year-olds, the highest mental well-being scores were for those living with their parents, in education and employed.
On the flip side, 27 per cent of this age group experienced moderate deprivation – meaning being unable to afford annual holidays, to invite friends over, or to replace worn-out furniture.
A quarter of those who live alone also experience severe deprivation, meaning they cannot afford to keep their house warm, to buy meat or fish every second day if they wish, or to buy new, rather than second-hand, clothes.
Mind the gap
Marked gender disparities prevail in all aspects of working time across the 28 member states.
The findings show that men have taken little advantage of the increased flexibility in working time arrangements and continue to work more hours on average per week than women. The uneven division of unpaid domestic work between women and men also often leads women with young children to opt for shorter working hours and to seek jobs that offer flexibility.
But while part-time work enables women to combine work and family responsibilities, it can limit career progression and training opportunities.
• Male employees work an average of 40.6 hours per week, compared with 33.9 hours for women.
• Total working time (paid working hours, commuting hours and unpaid working time combined) for women is 64 hours a week, on average, compared with 53.4 hours for men.
• Most of the difference in total working time arises from the greater time women spend in caring (26 hours, compared with nine hours for men).