Malta – EU skills’ gap closed not before 2045

By 2020 Malta is expected to have 69% of the population active in the labour market, closing the gap with the rest of the EU’s average of 72% but the standards of living in Malta will continue to lag behind the European average. These are among the conclusions of a report called ‘The next leap’ prepared for the Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) about an active labour market policy.

The findings were presented in a business breakfast on Wednesday. UHM expressed its satisfaction that the report has gained the support of both PN and PL.

The report identifies the skills gap between Malta and the EU as the biggest challenge the country has to face to improve its quality of life.

Other highlights in the report:

·        50% of Maltese workers by 2020 will have the lowest possible skills compared to only 13% of workers in the EU.

·        The skills of European workers will be 22% higher than in Malta.

·        At the present rate Malta will only close the skills gap with the rest of Europe in 2045, not before another 33 years.