PM Muscat addresses Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth

Addressing the Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth in Gothenburg, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat dwelt on the issue of access to the labour market and said that the gender issue is an important perspective to keep in mind within this context. “Over the past five years in Malta,” said Dr Muscat, “three initiatives were implemented that were fundamental to open up access to the labour market. These were the tapering of social security benefits, in-work benefits and free universal childcare.”

Prime Minister Muscat emphasised the importance of access to the labour market by women. Malta, he said, climbed up to the EU average from one which saw it as having the lowest female participation in the labour market

Referring to the tapering of social benefits, the Prime Minister said that this was a means to show people that their entering the labour market will not mean the immediate loss of social benefits.

The in-work benefit system worked to identify the most vulnerable families and incentivise them to the legal economy and away from the black economy.

The Prime Minister remarked that Malta is the only European state which offers universal free childcare for families, single parents, and student parents who work or study. Free childcare costs money, the Prime Minister said, however the measure was a success since the percentage of working women increased drastically while the poverty rate was reduced.

Muscat also referred to the urgent need by employers for an effective exercise in skills-matching. On the issue of disability issue in Malta, the Prime Minister said that during the past forty years, legislation imposing a percentage of workers with a disability within the workforce was not being implemented effectively. This was the reason why government introduced a system whereby contributions are now being deposited in a national fund for employers who are not abiding with the law.

This is the perfect example of how a holistic approach can work. In fact, said Prime Minister Muscat, Malta has the lowest unemployment rate in its history and the third lowest unemployment rate in the EU. The Prime Minister concluded that with this approach the country was able to reach other goals.

The summit was also attended by various European leaders. Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Family Affairs Rosianne Cutajar also attended the summit.