Inspectors found 1,963 foreigners working without a permit during inspections coordinated by JobsPlus between January and September this year.

1,121 were from non-EU countries and the rest from EU member states, Education and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo told Nationalist MP Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici in reply to a parliamentary question.

The minister also said in reply to another question that JobsPlus received 27,636 work permit applications from third-country nationals this year up to October. 

In June, Times of Malta reported that almost 43,000 foreign workers were in Malta and the Cabinet had approved plans to bring thousands more from non-EU countries as it sought to pre-empt a labour shortage problem.

Figures given in Parliament had shown that there were currently 12,407 non-EU workers in Malta, along with 30,564 from the EU.

The most strongly represented countries were Italy, with 7,748 workers in Malta, followed by 4,819 Britons and 2,439 Bulgarians.

Topping the list on non-EU nationals in Malta are 2,413 Filipinos and 2,329 Serbs.

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