A Skilled Occupation List has been developed in the new Labour Migration Policy, outlining the high skills needed in the Maltese economy and will be used by authorities to help employers recruit people more quickly into these roles. The list, outlined in Appendix A of the policy, covers an extensive number of jobs in these categories:
· Managers
· Scientists and engineers
· Medical and other healthcare professionals
· Financial professionals
· Marketing and sales professionals
· Care workers for children, older people and people with disabilities
At present, third-country nationals are not obliged to take part in integration courses before they depart for Malta. The policy suggests making pre-departure integration courses compulsory through a restructured I Belong programme which will include information on rights, Maltese cultural norms and potential opportunities in Malta.
Identità will only issue an approval in principle for the employment permit after the person provides documented evidence of completing integration courses. Third-country nationals must also be able to demonstrate fluency in either Maltese or English.
To help the improve the skills of migrant workers in Malta, the Government will provide funding for training (e.g. through tax credits) to private educational institutions and employers for this purpose. These programmes should incorporate:
1. Language and literacy training in Maltese and English
2. Vocational training and certification
3. Integration courses – in terms of culture and workplace norms
4. Recognition of prior learning and foreign qualifications
The fee for submitting a first-time single permit application would increase to €600 although an exception will be made for social care workers (reduced to €150 for first-time and renewal applications).
Introducing a skills card, similarly to the certificate recently introduced for hospitality and catering, will ensure that individuals employed in certain sectors possess the necessary skills and qualifications, with construction being a priority as the next sector for a skills card programme.
The proposed National Skills Strategy could be used to identify occupations with shortages and also those with more than enough workers in the same role.
Tailored memorandums of understanding and diplomatic partnerships with other countries could help to ensure that people applying to work in Malta have the right skills for those jobs.
One final recommendation, as an incentive, is a register of exemplary employers who wish to hire third-country nationals and who follow all employment laws and have invested in their workforce through official training schemes.
Being on this register will allow employers to enter a streamlined labour market testing process, and renew permits for more than two years and up to four years, therefore giving their employees more time to integrate into Malta and improve their skills.
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