The Nationalist Party noted today that the government engaged 5,500 people in the public service in the past two years, reversing a downward trend in public service recruitment.

Furthermore, half the new jobs being created by the private sector were going to foreigners who were attracted here by low wages.

The PN said that even if 1,500 retire from the public service every year, as stated recently by the Finance Minister, the government in the past two years engaged 2,500 more than the number who retired in the past two years.

Furthermore, many jobs being created by the private sector were going to foreigners. Education and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo had been among those who confirmed that half of Malta’s new jobs were going to foreigners.
The reason stemmed from the low salaries which workers from countries such as Bulgaria and Romania were prepared to accept in Malta.

“All this shows that there is something wrong in our labour market, especially our dependence on public sector employment, and on low salaries,” the PN said.