1,963 foreign workers found working without a permit this year

There were a total of 21,435 work permit applications that were made through Identity Malta and a further 6,201 filed through Jobsplus

Almost 2,000 foreign workers were found to be working without the necessary permit so far this year
Almost 2,000 foreign workers were found to be working without the necessary permit so far this year

A total of 1,963 foreign workers have been found working in Malta without a permit so far this year, Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo said on Tuesday.

Replying to a parliamentary question from Nationalist MP Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Bartolo said that between January and September, inspections carried out by Jobsplus led to the discovery of 842 EU nationals and 1,21 third country nationals that were employed without being in possession of the necessary permission to do so.

The minister, replying to another question, said that between January and September this year, local authorities had received a total of 27,636 permit applications, including 21,425 ‘Single Permit’ applications that are forwarded by Identity Malta.

Bartolo said there were currently 2,545 pending permit applications. 

Malta’s steady economic growth has resulted in a strain on the country’s labor force, with many businesses and employers voicing concerns about the difficulty of finding both skilled and unskilled workers.

The influx of foreign workers has increased tensions among the population, a large segment of which believes Malta is unable to take more people.

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia has on a number of occasions accused the government of growing the economy by increasing Malta’s population, a suggestion which has been rubbished by the government.