Malta Tops the list of Highest Employment Rate for Recent Graduates in the EU

In 2023, nearly 96% of new graduates in Malta secured employment, as reported by the European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat. This impressive figure places Malta at the top among 22 EU countries, significantly surpassing the EU average employment rate of 83.5% for recent graduates. The high employment rate in Malta suggests that students in the country are more likely to receive job offers soon after graduation.

Following Malta, other EU countries that recorded high employment rates for recent graduates include the Netherlands, Iceland, Germany, and Austria. In contrast, the lowest employment rates were observed in Italy (67.5%), Greece (72.3%), Romania (74.8%), Croatia (78.2%), and Spain (78.7%).

Eurostat also highlighted that the overall employment rate among recent graduates in the EU has steadily increased over the past decade, reaching nearly 84% in 2023. However, despite Malta’s high employment rate, the country still faces a significant demand for workers to fill numerous vacancies across its territory. This is partly due to Malta’s relatively small population of 542,051, as estimated in 2022.

The 2023 EURES report on shortages and surpluses revealed that Malta is experiencing labor shortages in 20 occupations across various industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, food service and hospitality, business and administration, and transportation. Some of the professions facing worker shortages in Malta include:

1. 1. 1. Messengers, package deliverers, and luggage porters
      2. Manufacturing laborers not elsewhere classified
      3. Building construction laborers
      4. Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels, and other establishments
      5. Car, taxi, and van drivers
      6. Security guards
      7. Healthcare assistants
      8. Childcare workers
      9. Shop sales assistants
      10. Bartenders
      11. Waiters
      12. Accounting and bookkeeping clerks
      13. Contact center information clerks
      14. Bookmakers, croupiers, and related gaming workers
      15. General office clerks
      16. Chefs
      17. Administrative and executive secretaries
      18. Office supervisors
      19. Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified
      20. Managing Directors and Chief Executives

Given these labor shortages and its population size, Malta is actively seeking to attract highly skilled workers. To address this need, the country has introduced the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI), which is designed for highly skilled third-country nationals (TCNs) who do not qualify for the Key Employee Initiative but possess the relevant academic or technical skills for jobs in Malta.

According to Identita, a Maltese government agency, only TCNs who have signed an employment contract with a company registered in Malta are eligible to apply under this scheme.

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