Low unemployment guaranteed with PN’s 25,000-job pledge – Busuttil

Malta retains lowest unemployment, deficit and debt levels among Mediterranean countries.

Simon Busuttil with Spanish MEP Teresa Jimenez-Becerril Barrio.
Simon Busuttil with Spanish MEP Teresa Jimenez-Becerril Barrio.

Malta retains one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the Mediterranean, but the country needs a sound economy to deliver 25,000 new jobs in the next five years.

Nationalist deputy leader and MEP Simon Busuttil today justified Malta's 15% rate of unemployed youth, by comparing it to Spain's "unbelievable" 56%, in a presentation of his party's programme to encourage more youths into the labour market and the use of EU funds to pay salaries for employers who take on unemployed youths.

"We also have the best rate of graduates who end up in employment. There is zero unemployment for many segments of graduates, such as pharmacists and accountants," Busuttil said.

The PN's electoral programme has targeted a number of proposals to encourage the set up of businesses for the young unemployed, as well as offer grants to youths in both study and volunteer work. Apart from tagging university stipends with the cost of living adjustment and increasing them for the disabled and students from low-income families, the re-elected Nationalist government wants to open a €1,000 child pension account to encourage a culture of savings from the cradle.

The PN is also pledging income tax exemptions and social security credits for under-25s opening businesses and companies, as well as grants ranging from €500 to €1,000 for young people who carry out voluntary work abroad or a language course.

"Without a sound economy, these proposals are not possible. And on 9th March we will be giving the country an economy on a strong footing, allowing us to keep our finances stable," Busuttil said.

The PN deputy leader also boasted of Malta's low level of unemployment, and of having the lowest deficit rate and public debt in the Mediterranean.

When asked what he made of Enemalta's €600 million debt and how this pushed up national debt to 90% of GDP, Busuttil limited himself to say that Malta's calculation of debt was strictly in line with EU criteria.

"We use these criteria to calculate national debt and this doesn't take into account Enemalta - our debt is therefore less than the EU average and the smallest of the seven Mediterranean countries. It cannot be clearer than that."

On her part, Spanish MEP Teresa Jimenez-Becerril Barrio warned the Maltese electorate that they should not experiment at a time when Malta's economy is faring well compared to other Mediterranean countries, including her own.

"This is not a time for adventures or dreams. Everyone loves change but when you are in such a good position, why should you risk making things worse." she said.

Jimenez-Becerril Barrio, a European Popular Party MEP, present for the press conference at the PN headquarters this morning, added that Spain's former Socialist government, led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, was the reason behind' Spain's economic woes, since he did not do enough to prevent the "enormous crisis."

"If you think things cannot be worse, look around yourselves, look at what is happening in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal."

The MEP added that the easiest thing to do was to tell the people what they wanted to hear as Zapatero's government had done, however this led to the highest unemployment rate ever, with over 56% of young people and 26% of women being out of work.

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Kelkhom ċans toħolquhom simon!! Ilkhom 25 sena fil-gvern, avolja int qed tghid li ilkhom 15 il-sena biss!! Anqas sempliċi + ma taf tagħmel? Kemm aħjar bqajt ġo Brusells għal kwiet. Imma għalina aħjar meta tghid xi ħaġa għax iżjed qed tagħmel ħsara lil gonżipn!!!!
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Kif ma jisthiex u ma jiddejqux jibqaw iwieghdu dak li qatt ma ghamlu u mhux se jaghmlu. Jghaddu z-zmien bin-nies. Shame on you Gonzi/BusuttilPN.
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If there is one thing which is proven by the PN's track record it is JOBS and JOB CREATION
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Joseph MELI
Death and Taxes are all that are guaranteed in life.Just ask Air Malta's ex-employees about Gonzi's last pre-election job "guarantees".
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PN PLEDGES HAVE COME AND GONE AND EACH TIME AN ELECTION IS OVER THOSE PLEDGES ARE INVARIABLY BROKEN, IGNORED, AND FORGOTTEN. I AM SORRY SIMON, FROM PAST EXPERIENCES YOU AND YOUR LEADER AND YOUR PARTY ARE NOT CREDIBLE ANY LONGER. THE PEOPLE ARE FED UP WITH PROMISES THAT ARE NOT WORTH THE INK THEY ARE WRITTEN WITH. IT IS TIME WE MIGRATE TO MORE CREDIBLE PARTIES AND PEOPLE WHO WILL DELIVER WHAT THEY PROMISE.
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Din il-pledge kif tkun, Dr Busuttil? Tipo Smart City x 7000 jobs jew? Mur emmnek.
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whenever you talk it's a farce MR Simon Busittil...... so keep talking please....
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If Simple Simon carries on bragging about these fantasies, he might even start believing them himself. The rest of us can identify B.S. when we hear it.
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Dan biex gej Busutill? Go Irlanda partit ta shabhom kien hemm u anke gol-Grecja u issa bi skandli kbar go Spanja shabhom ukoll hemm fil-Gvern! Dan x'qed jghid li il-konservattivi ( bhan _Nazzjonalisti huma vergni) u is-socjal democras xjaten? Mela ma tghallimt xejn minn Brusells Simon? Rahli kont u rahli bqajt?
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ohhh...what a gimmick mr simon...this is another fantasy gimmick..so before 2008 elections been praised by 20.000 jobs ,white rocks (that now are black rocks with fungus ),smart city (that now are smell city) etc....and brasilain bananas !! and now can we believe you on 25,000 jobs !! what a manifesto...gonzi said yesterday that he didnt see pl manifesto and you said that they copied yours .....what a mess of lies ...shut up simon & clan ..dont ridiculous more our country.
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.... malajr ittiehed il-qsajjar xmun ta' mannarinu mill-ambjent artificjali, vojt u xott li ghazel li jiddellek mieghu .... kemm hu facli twieghed u taghti plegg li se tohloq 25,000 impieg ..... l-istess kif ghamlu fuq smart city .... hemm ukoll ma nafx kemm-il elf impieg wieghdu skont l-istudju ta' dawk il-bravi l-ohra tal-kpmg ..... u issa li smart city hija ghost town u hemm biss kafe, lanqas biss ghandhom il-kuragg li jsemmuh ..... u min taparsi ghamel l-akbar bravura li gabu hawn issa nixiflu halqu u fetah halqu biss ..... biex ftakar li kellu kont fl-isvizzera ..... u mbaghad tiftakar li kien dahak u ddiehak bi svizzera fil-mediterran!!!!! forsi ghalhekk m'ghogbitux l-ideja .......
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Tajjeb illi gibtu MEP minn Spanja. Taf kif falliet Spanja, bl infieq u dejn esagira li ghamel il gvern. Ezatt bhal ma ghamel Gonzipn.
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If one looks in detail at the proportion of part-time or temporary contract jobs, the picture is far less rosy than Dr. Busuttil tries to make out. These jobs, whilst useful in raising the standard of living and reducing the strain on givernment finances (less unemployment benefits)are not in any way equivalent to full-time jobs. Only full-time jobs allow people to take out mortgages, save for the future and undertake long-term projects.