One of the issues which continues to trouble employers is their inability to find staff: in the right amount and the right quality. The very good performance of our economy means that we have steadily edged closer to full employment, while we have welcomed thousands (and I doubt whether we really know how many thousands) of foreign workers.

This newspaper quoted official reports which stated that most foreign workers have located themselves either at the top end of the labour market or at the bottom end. The former have come because employers could not find Maltese persons to do this job, while the latter have come as, it is claimed, Maltese workers do not like the jobs these people are doing.

I believe that, in effect, foreign workers have occupied positions across the whole spectrum of the labour market, as the shortage of workers is felt in all sectors.

In addition to focusing on the qualifications of prospective employees, we must also focus on their behavioural traits which contribute to success in a job

Given the small size of the population, it is not surprising that we need foreign workers to be able to sustain the economic activity that is being generated by our country.

We have had low unemployment since the late 1980s and so the upsurge in the last years required an influx of workers.

Some of that has been provided by an increase in female participation in the labour market. Another contribution has been made to the labour force as a result of persons postponing their retirement. However, this has not been enough, especially in those sectors that created most jobs.

A few weeks ago I wrote about Malta’s changing demographic structure and that we should consider the possible impact of this influx of non-Maltese. All these factors address the number but not the quality of the human resources available.

A great part of the problem is the lack of appropriate skills. I have written about the need for new skills for new jobs, even for a country such as Malta with a low unemployment rate. Job seekers, especially those who have gone through tertiary education, complain that employers are being too demanding when they ask for applicants with experience. They claim that they need to be given the opportunity to acquire experience. Up to a certain point they are correct. I wonder if we are all missing the point when we speak of this inability of employers to find staff in the right number and of the right calibre. I believe that the educational system, at its various levels, provides persons with the right technical skills.

It is the responsibility of the employers to train their employees in job specific skills. Government may provide support to employers to fulfil this task.

So the issue of a lack of skills needs to be assessed differently. Could it be that the problem which employers are facing is one of behaviour? They are being faced with job applicants for whom aspects like punctuality are not important.

They are faced with applicants who may have the fundamentals of the technical skills required but are not capable of building relationships with other persons.

They are faced with applicants who can repeat parrot-like what they have learnt but lack the thinking skills that enable them to apply what they have learnt.

I believe that when we speak of the current shortage of employees that employers are facing we need to think more deeply.

In addition to focusing on the qualifications of prospective employees, we must also focus on their behavioural traits which contribute to success in a job – just as much as the technical skills.