JobsPlus Needs To Publish Its Y Plate And Courier Labour Market Review
When I interviewed Robert Abela last week, he gave some mixed messages about the ban on new foreign cab drivers and food couriers.
On the one hand, he said it was based on a scientific labour market review that the national employment agency JobsPlus has been working on for a while. On the other, he said the government is reacting to messages that voters sent across at the June 8th elections, although he insisted it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction.
When I asked him for the exact number of Y plate cabs and food delivery couriers that the market requires, he said he will have to check with the study. I asked JobsPlus for a copy of the study today and I hope to have it in hand soon.
There are a number of questions that the labour market review should determine, such as:
-How many Y plate drivers and food delivery couriers does Malta need?
-How was this number calculated?
-Is this a fixed number or should it rise if Malta’s population keeps growing and when there are more tourists?
-When people quit the industry and the number of available drivers and couriers sinks below the threshold, will JobsPlus open the market up to more people to fill the gap?
-Why can’t foreign workers who are already working other jobs in Malta drive a cab or deliver food as a side hustle, which is after all, what these platforms were originally intended for?
-Since the government is concerned that Maltese cab drivers aren’t earning enough and since income is largely determined by platform algorithms, does the government have data on how these algorithms work? Were these algorithms taken into account when determining market saturation?
It is crucial that this study is published to determine exactly how the government reached the conclusion that there are too many cab drivers and food delivery couriers.
Of course, it could well be more of a political decision than an economic one – ie the government shed thousands of votes and received feedback from disgruntled Y plate drivers and the general public that they are frustrated at the high number of foreigners in Malta.
But if the government can simply impose massive restrictions in a market to satisfy public disenchantment, that could have ripple effects on other industries. If public anger veers from cab drivers and food delivery couriers (the most visible foreigners) to waiters and catering staff, will the government ban third-country nationals from working in hospitality? The Prime Minister didn’t rule it out.
One would imagine that businesses seeking to expand their operations or set up shop in Malta will need some clarity on the labour market to make informed decisions about their operations.
By publishing the study and the methodologies used to determine market needs, the government can justify its policy and avoid perception that the move was simply politically motivated.
If we’re simply going to get the Prime Minister’s word for it, it could cause ripples of economic uncertainty.
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