Updated at 9.55pm
The Chamber of Commerce welcomed measures to promote fair enforcement and a level playing field in business.
It also welcomed plans for new entities to promote Malta’s efforts in fintech, blockchain and artificial intelligence.
The Malta Employers' Association said the budget should have projected a more concrete vision for a sustainable economy over a number of years.
"The current pressure on wages due to a shortage of numerous skills in the labour force, together with the cost of additional optional leave days may result in a wage price spiral as companies will seek – where possible – to shift the added costs on consumers both business and final consumers," it said.
The MEA has also cautioned against growth which is the result of a sudden increase in population, adding that this required a comprehensive strategy to cater for the socio-economic impact of such a phenomenon.
The GWU welcomed the budget measures, which it said were aimed at ensuring that everyone enjoyed the benefits of economic growth.
The union also welcomed the increase in days off and compensation being given for past injustices.
The Forum Unions Maltin (For.U.M.) said the Budget was a continuation of the government’s strategy for the past few years. However, it was disappointed that the government did not take on board its proposal for employees to get sick leave to look after their dependents, for parental leave to be split between spouses, for early retirement schemes and for a revision to the pension caps.
The Malta Union of Teachers found plenty to praise in the Budget, from renovations to schools to the removal of SEC and Matsec exam fees. However, it felt the Budget completely missed the point when it came to solving the shortage of teachers, saying that the government was offering no incentives to encourage young people to seek teaching as a career. It also lamented that serious cases of violence had not led to any proposals to improve school security.
Hotel and restaurant owners were rather pleased with the Budget, with the MHRA saying the measures were "favourable and will contribute to sustain further economic growth".
The MHRA urged the government to consider embellishing other tourist zones such as Buġibba and parts of the north of Malta.
UĦM Voice of the Workers was less effusive. Budget 2019, the union said, was targeted at pockets of society but lacked a long-term economic vision.
While it praised raises for pensioners, provisions for extra leave and making Matsec exams free, it said that nothing was being done to solve the problem of "foreign workers nibbling into collective agreements". A €400m surplus, the union said, should have benefited a wider spread of the population.
The GRTU was also quite negative, describing the Budget as one which lacked creativity and did not reflect the prosperity currently being felt.
It highlighted a few points which would help SMEs, but it was much harsher when it came to what was missing. It said its members expected a much greater reduction in taxes, particularly those which would help them compete against foreign entities. And it said that more had to be done to actively solve the lack of workers being felt.