Watch: Joseph Muscat Warns Against Cap On Non-EU Workers, Says Malta’s Economy ‘Definitely Reliant’ On Them
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has warned against Malta introducing a cap on foreign workers, saying the islands’ economy is “definitely reliant” on them, going so far as to mention a number of industries which are manned by foreign workers.
Making a distinction between EU and non-EU workers when questioned seconds before entering Parliament for his return at the PAC hearing, Muscat said non-EU workers add an important contextual fact to the islands’ argument on the matter: “necessities”.
“Right now, our economy is definitely reliant on foreign workers to man our construction industry, to man our tourism industry, we don’t have enough capacity, to man our hospitals, to man our retirement homes,” Muscat said. “So really and truly, it’s not about – I hope we don’t go down the way where we say we need or want so much and that’s it. It’s about how many workers we need.”
View this post on Instagram
As the debate on Malta’s overpopulation and the nature of its workforce continues to rage on, some have brought up the argument of perhaps putting a cap on the number of foreign workers or non-EU nationals allowed to stay on the islands. And it’s not just a conversation that’s being have on a citizen-level either – according to a report by the Times of Malta, top government ministers have said the government could be looking into introducing measures limited the number of non-EU nationals residing in the country. At one point, an unnamed minister even ended by asking, “Do we really need more cab drivers?”
What do you make of Muscat’s opinion on the matter? Sound off in the comments below and tag someone who needs to check this out.
READ NEXT: Watch Live: Joseph Muscat Returns To Testify At PAC Hearing After Parliament's Summer Break
