News | Sunday, 05 July 2009

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Foreign workers overqualified for Maltese jobs – university study

Migrant workers appear to be overqualified and participate less than other workers in education and training, a report by the university’s Centre for Labour Studies for the European Working Conditions Observatory shows.
The study quotes unpublished statistics from the labour force survey conducted by the National Statistics Office, showing that while 35% of migrants have a tertiary level of education, only 28% have managerial or professional jobs.
On the other hand while 18% of the general population have a tertiary level of education, 19% are in managerial or professional jobs.
The NSO’s sample does not include people living in collective households, which therefore excludes hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers.
But the study refers to claims by officials from the Employment and Training Corporation and NGOs that irregular immigrants are often overqualified for their jobs.
“These immigrants experience difficulties to find regular employment, and when they do, they are often offered the low-skilled jobs which the Maltese workers refuse,” the study says.
While foreign workers generally earn higher salaries than other men in the general working population, female migrant workers earn less than other women.
The average salary for female migrant workers also decreased between 2003 and 2007. During the same period, female migrant workers increased by 67% while men increased by about 9%.
The study notes that while the government is focusing its attention on managing irregular migration, much more work is needed to integrate migrants in the labour market. “The government’s difficulties in tackling this issue comprehensively have been compounded by the ambivalent approach adopted by trade unions and the xenophobic attitudes that are emerging among the population of Malta.”
It also notes that when speaking against racism, Maltese unions tend to be most vocal about the fact that refugees’ lower wages are undercutting the Maltese workers, rather than the integration of migrants in the labour market.
It also refers to claims by ETC officials that while the Malta Employers Association has highlighted the need for society to start considering migrants as a potential opportunity to help tackle labour shortages – rather than a social problem – many employers still have a negative perception of migrant workers.

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