Employer complaints that the education system is churning out students with certificates but no employment skills barely make the headlines any more. Finding the right recruits gets more difficult when unemployment is low, making it an employee market in some sectors. Foreign recruitment is resorted to in order to fill in the gaps.

Nevertheless, Malta has still managed to place 40th from among 138 countries in the World Economic Forum competitive index. Significantly, the report points at an inadequately educated workforce and an inefficient government bureaucracy among the biggest problems for doing business in Malta. Access to financing was listed as the third most problematic factor while a “poor work ethic” ranked fourth. Ethics is an entirely different matter from a skills shortage.

The Malta Employers’ Association speaks of a culture of entitlement among young employees, which raises the question of whether youths may be having it too easy and not properly prepared for the hard realities of the working life. This culture of entitlement translates into sick leave abuse and, especially, the ‘Monday morning syndrome’ after a weekend of partying. The workforce is becoming more inflexible and with no loyalty to the workplace, the association says.

The employers’ association’s director general is critical of the education system but also recognises that the problem of early school-leavers who exit the system with few or no skills goes beyond educational institutions.

There is a limit to how much the education system can do. Ethics can be taught in schools but only to an extent. More importantly, they should be taught at home along with basic family values that would last a lifetime. Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. It is through their parents that children learn the values of hard work, responsibility and commitment. It is not just a matter of landing yourself a job, or of making good money, but of doing good work in a way that instils pride and even exceeds employer expectations so you may move ahead.

The value of work must extend beyond the ability to buy nice clothes, take vacations or simply pay bills. That sort of thinking only instils complacency, passivism, disinterest and a lack of belonging. Some workplaces, unfortunately, do tend to promote such attitudes.

It must work both ways. Bosses have to lead by good example and inspire a positive forward movement in the company. Employees who feel exploited, or simply ignored, would not give their best. Employers, therefore, have a major role to play in creating a sense of belonging and commitment.

It is essential for a company to share its mission and vision in a way that employees feel motivated, engaged and involved. When hiring young employees, it is necessary to ensure that their interests and talents match their work. Project work, with goals, budgets and timelines, keeps new recruits motivated. They may lack the experience but they have the knowledge, the energy and fresh ideas.

Naturally, offering the right working conditions and salaries helps employee loyalty. Parents play a fundamental role in education, especially where values, social responsibility and ethics are concerned. Home is best placed to teach children the right principles that help them to be good citizens and successful later in life.

Work ethic is not a skill, it is not learned off a schoolbook but taught through example at the workplace and, most especially, at home.