Employer Groups Reject Clyde Caruana Accusations Over Foreign Labour
In brief
- Employer bodies rejected claims by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana that businesses preferred cheap foreign labour to capital investment.
- The Malta Chamber of Commerce argued the minister misdiagnosed the underlying causes of Malta's economic bottlenecks.
- The Malta Employers' Association pointed out that Caruana previously helped design and execute the state's labour recruitment policies.
Leading Maltese business and employer organisations have pushed back against remarks by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, who accused employers of choosing cheap foreign labour over capital investment.
The Malta Chamber of Commerce stated that the minister's claims misdiagnosed the true origins of the country's economic bottlenecks. The organisation argued that wider structural issues and the prevailing economic framework, rather than employer preferences, were responsible for current strains.
In a separate statement, the Malta Employers' Association also dismissed Caruana's claims. The association challenged the minister's stance and drew attention to his own record in overseeing labour policy.
The association pointed out that Caruana formerly headed the state employment agency, Jobsplus. In that capacity, he played a central role in shaping and implementing national labour recruitment strategies over the past decade.
The dispute comes amid continuing debate in Malta regarding rapid population growth, infrastructure capacity, and the sustainability of the economic model. Critics have increasingly questioned the island's heavy reliance on labour-heavy sectors.
Business representatives insisted that long-term stability requires sound economic planning, urging the government to focus on productivity and policy reform rather than assigning blame to private employers.
The Spin Room
Low media divide. All reporting covered the pushback from employer organisations consistently without notable framing differences.