Gozitans And Non-Maltese Citizens Much More Likely To Have Agricultural, Fishing Or Related Skills
Amongst the findings published in the Preliminary results of the National Statistics Office’s 2022 Malta Skills Survey was the fact that 22.0% of Malta’s population have at least one skill in the category of “agriculture, fishing and related skills” – with the majority of these people being Gozitan, or non-Maltese citizens.
Of these, the most prevalent skill, at 13%, was handling animals. This was followed by the apparent ability of 10% of the population to cultivate land and crops, while a further 6% of the population is equipped to go fishing.
The likelihood of having a skill in this category was found to be slightly higher for non-Maltese citizens, at 23.7%, than for Maltese citizens, at 21.7%.
More starkly, though, was the finding that in general, males had a 26.8% likelihood of having a skill in this category, while females had a much lower chance of having one, at 16.8%.
Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly given that the archipelago’s smaller inhabited island is – relative to Malta – a natural paradise (for now) people in Gozo had a 29.8% likelihood of having a skill in this category, as opposed to people in Malta, who’s chances sit slightly below the national average, at 21.4%.
It would seem that in Malta the best way to be in touch with nature, and knowing how to cooperate with the earth or mould it to suit your needs, is not to be Maltese at all – or to be from Gozo.
While people in the 15-24 age range were likeliest to have animal handling skills, those in the 45-64 age range are the likeliest to know how to cultivate crops.
This may show that farming, despite eating up a huge chunk of Malta’s rural land, is less attractive to younger people than it once was, which could be due to diminishing confidence in the sustainability of arable lands in Malta over the coming decades.
Are you surprised by the commonality of agricultural skills?
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