A Nationalist Party pledge to create 25,000 new jobs over the next five years will be achieved by building on measures that had led to 20,000 jobs over the past legislature, Family Minister Chris Said has said.

Dr Said pointed to Malta’s relatively healthy employment figures, with unemployment the fifth lowest across the EU and a record 153,000 people in full-time work, as evidence of the PN’s credibility in terms of job creation.

“We have proven our commitment to creating new jobs. Not only has the Labour Party not provided a figure as to how many jobs it will create, but its manifesto is also bereft of job creation proposals,” he said.

But the minister did not explain how the PN had arrived at the 25,000 figure, which matches the number of jobs Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has said would be needed if one took future graduates, pensioners and working women into account.

Nor did Dr Said say what the PN’s labour force participation target figure for 2017 was.

Currently, 61.5 per cent of working-age adults are in paid employment, compared to almost 69 per cent across the EU.

According to the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy, Malta has set itself the modest target of raising its figure to 63 per cent by that year.

The comparable EU 2020 target is 75 per cent.

Dr Said explained several of the PN’s work-related proposals, from a €215 million investment boost for tourism to tax credits for start-ups, new educational campuses and the extension of successful employment schemes aimed at those struggling to find work.

Working pensioners would see their National Insurance contributions halved, while Gozo-specific proposals would lead to reduced business licence costs and 23 per cent of rural funds dedicated to Gozitan agriculture, he added.