VALLETTA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Malta's government launched a public consultation on Wednesday for a new labor migration policy to address growing challenges in this field.

The Malta Labor Migration Policy aims to ensure that economic migration aligns with future labor market needs and enhances workforce retention.

The policy is guided by four main principles, placing workers at the center and promoting broad economic prosperity: workforce retention and stability; protection of employee rights and improved working conditions; aligning labor migration with market needs; and adopting a skills-based approach to migration.

Prime Minister Robert Abela highlighted Malta's extraordinary economic transformation over the past decade, marked by remarkable growth.

This rapid expansion has driven strong demand for labor, with employment levels reaching record highs and unemployment falling to historic lows, he said.

Abela noted that, like many advanced economies, Malta faces significant challenges from an aging population and low fertility rates, contributing to a shrinking local workforce. In response, labor migration has become essential to filling skills gaps and sustaining economic growth.

Measures within the policy will require employers to prioritize Maltese and European Union (EU) workers, retain and fairly treat non-EU employees, and encourage non-EU workers already in Malta to remain, upskill, and integrate into local communities.

Abela said the reform represents "the necessary change" in managing migration flows and forms part of the government's long-term vision for 2050. "We will only allow the entry of workers needed for our labor market," he said.

The consultation process is open till Feb. 9. Enditem

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