In 2023, Malta achieved an impressive milestone, with nearly 96% of new graduates successfully entering the workforce, as reported by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
This remarkable employment rate positions Malta at the forefront of EU countries, exceeding the EU average of 83.5%.
The data highlights that graduates in Malta enjoy a significantly higher likelihood of securing job opportunities upon completing their studies, as noted by Schengen.News. Following Malta, the Netherlands, Iceland, Germany, and Austria also reported relatively high employment rates for recent graduates.
Conversely, the lowest employment figures were seen in Italy (67.5%), Greece (72.3%), Romania (74.8%), Croatia (78.2%), and Spain (78.7%). Eurostat has observed a consistent rise in the overall employment rate for recent EU graduates over the last decade, which reached nearly 84% in 2023. This marks a substantial increase from 74.3% in 2013, notwithstanding a dip in 2020 due to the pandemic, which saw the rate fall to 78.7%.
Despite its high graduate employment rate, Malta still faces workforce challenges, necessitating additional personnel to address numerous vacancies throughout the country. With a population of approximately 542,051 as of 2022, Malta’s labor market is stretched thin in key sectors.
According to the 2023 EURES report on job shortages and surpluses, Malta identifies critical gaps in 20 different occupations across various industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, food service and hospitality, business and administration, and transportation. The sectors experiencing significant worker shortages include:
- Messengers, package deliverers, and luggage porters
- Manufacturing laborers not classified elsewhere
- Building construction laborers
- Cleaners and helpers in offices and hotels
- Drivers (car, taxi, and van)
- Security guards
- Healthcare assistants
- Childcare workers
- Shop sales assistants
- Bartenders
- Waiters
- Accounting and bookkeeping clerks
- Contact center information clerks
- Gaming workers (bookmakers, croupiers, etc.)
- General office clerks
- Chefs
- Administrative and executive secretaries
- Office supervisors
- Business services and administration managers not classified elsewhere
- Managing directors and chief executives
In light of these labor shortages, Malta is actively seeking to attract highly skilled workers. One of the initiatives aimed at this goal is the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI), designed for highly skilled third-country nationals (TCNs) who may not qualify for the Key Employee Initiative but possess the relevant academic or technical skills in demand within the Maltese job market.
According to Identita, a government agency, only TCNs who have secured an employment contract with a Malta-based company are eligible to apply for this initiative.
