This week I met an employer who told me about the difficulties he is encountering to recruit suitable Maltese employees. We immediately got into a discussion covering various aspects related to the economy. They are aspects which I would like to share with you.

One of his comments was that nowadays, young Maltese people are fully aware of the job opportunities that exist and that they will not find difficulty to move from one job to another. This is a statement we may have heard a number of times. Persons working in the recruitment sector know this is a very true statement. Maybe we do not stop to think why this is so.

Facts show that Malta has not experienced a severe recession for close to 30 years. Over these years, for one reason or another, our economy has experienced growth. This does not mean that there were not times when the gross domestic product did not decrease or when job growth did not slow down. However, we overcame these difficult moments very quickly. Moreover, in spite if these blips, we never had to face a situation of severe unemployment like other countries. Job opportunities kept growing and the labour force kept expanding.

Employers are rightin demanding that persons they employ have a higher level of skills than they would have demanded some years ago

For how long can we expect this situation to continue? There is nothing to indicate that it is coming to a halt. Has our country managed to beat the boom – bust economic cycle? Is there the risk of becoming complacent?

The element of complacency brings me to the second point about the labour market. We have a low unemployment rate, with many Maltese believing that most of those who declare themselves as unemployed are either actually in a job or are unemployable. In addition, there is a significant number of non-Maltese who have also joined the workforce. It may be stated that our economy could not grow in the way it did without this influx of foreign workers. Once the government launches another round of infrastructural projects, will there be enough workers available?

However, we also need to be honest with ourselves and admit that the Maltese do not want to do some of the jobs these non-Maltese are doing. We also need to admit that many of these non-Maltese workers have a work ethic which employers appreciate. They are efficient, productive and generally fulfil their role fully. As such we need to understand whether these non-Maltese workers may be representing a threat in the future. Will they, one day, also start doing the jobs the Maltese want to do?

This leads to the third point. When employers speak about the difficulties they encounter to recruit suitable Maltese persons, they are often referring to quality and quantity. There are not enough Maltese workers available in terms of numbers and there are not enough Maltese workers with the required skills.

Employers are right in demanding that persons they employ have a higher level of skills than they would have demanded some years ago. The business environment is becoming more complex, wage costs are rising, consumer prices are simply not rising. Competitiveness can only be sustained through more knowledge and higher productivity.

Are today’s young people willing and capable to deliver what is expected of them? Is the education system preparing them for tomorrow’s labour market rather than yesterday’s labour market? Is there a mismatch between employers’ expectations and employees’ expectations?

One employer put it to me very succinctly: “I am willing to pay the wages I am asked for, as long as my employees deliver what I expect them to deliver.”

These various observations may look very familiar to most persons. The healthy and vibrant Maltese labour market did not happen by chance. It continues to be nurtured and one can look to the future with optimism. Do we, as a society, need to understand better how it will evolve in the future?