Background information

Despite the various economic challenges that the country has been exposed to, including COVID-19 and the impact of the war in Ukraine, the economy in Malta remains strong and is characterised by low unemployment and economic growth. Nevertheless, inflationary pressures are evident in Malta. The combination of the rising cost of living and various employment opportunities has led employees to seek higher-paying jobs with better conditions. To support workers who remain in jobs with atypical working hours (that may be necessary for the economy), the government will provide a financial incentive.

Content of measure

Managed by Jobsplus, Malta's Employment and Training Organisation, employees who work atypical hours are eligible for this measure. Those who work shifts on weekends or after 6pm are categorised as workers with atypical hours. The scheme is applicable to those working in the private sector and is sector-specific, and aims to target those working in accommodation and food services, administrative and support services, manufacturing, transport and storage, and the wholesale and retail trade sectors.

The measure is open to those whose basic salary is below €20,000 per year. Individuals who meet the criteria are eligible for a benefit of €150 per year. It was reported that the first payment was made at the very end of 2022. It is possible that the amount provided in subsequent years may be higher.

Use of measure

At the end of December 2022, it was announced that 25,000 individuals would benefit from this measure. The total cost would amount to €4 million.

The benefit was first distributed in December 2022. The second lot of cheques were issued in Q1 2023. A total of 24,616 eligible individuals residing and employed in Malta benefitted during these periods (Ministry of Finance, 2023).

The public service website Servizz.gov (2024) states that around 40,000 employees benefit from this scheme which costs around €6 million. An explanation of why the number of employees who benefit from the scheme has increased substantially is not given.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Workers in non-standard forms of employment	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

No evidence of social partner involvement in the designing, implementing and monitoring of the measure was identified.

Views and reactions

Few views or reactions were identified in reaction to this measure. It is worth noting that employer associations have regularly expressed concerns about the limited number of workers in Malta, and that few Maltese want to take up positions with unpopular hours.

The General Worker's Union (GWU), however, released a statement that stated that a number of private care workers are atypical employees and had been excluded from this scheme. The union asked for negotiations with the involved minister.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 01 December 2022: Jobsplus - Atypical Working Hours (jobsplus.gov.mt)
• 22 December 2022: Malta Daily - 25,000 workers of atypical hours to receive €150 cheques (maltadaily.mt)
• 01 January 2023: GWU - The GWU is of the opinion that private care workers with atypical working conditions should be given the In-Work Benefit (gwu.org.mt)
• 06 April 2023: Ministry of Finance - Reporting on SDGs (finance.gov.mt)
• 01 February 2024: Servizz.gov - atypical work benefit (www.servizz.gov.mt)
• 28 October 2024: Malta - Budget 2025 (library.centralbankmalta.org)