Foreign carers who are hired in Malta to take care of the elderly will soon be required to obtain a skills card in order to work in the sector.
Announcing the country’s plans last week, the Active Aging Minister of Malta, Jo Etienne Abela, said that by requiring foreign carers to meet such a requirement, the country would ensure that the quality of workers is improved and the rules for employment will be less bureaucratic.
As Times of Malta explains, Minister Abela also said that the engagement of carers will be one of the main priorities this year.
The changes come amid an increase in life expectancy in recent years. Data show that more and more elderly are in need of carers.
However, many families struggle to hire carers, with them facing long waiting times as well as paperwork.
According to Minister Abela, the skills card will ease the procedures for hiring foreign carers for the elderly. He said that a parallel system would be created through which the authorities would be able to assess if the applicants meet all the requirements, including language and professional skills.
We will be using the model of the skills card. We are going to create a parallel system that will see to every condition and measure, such as language and skills.
The introduction of the skills card will be made in March of this year, with the authorities saying that this is an important tool.
Times of Malta noted that the government agreed last year to also introduce a skills card in 2024 for workers from non-EU countries who seek employment in the hospitality and tourism industry.
The government also agreed to extend the requirement for a skills card to include citizens of the EU as well as citizens of Malta in 2025.
In order to obtain the skills card, foreign workers will undergo a training and assessment programme. The programme will include an English language test and will also provide foreign workers with some basic Maltese phrases, among others.
Moreover, the government said that it will also implement changes to ensure that foreigners have basic knowledge of Maltese.
Malta heavily relies on foreign workers to fill job positions across different sectors throughout the country. Previously, SchengenVisaInfo listed the top 16 in-demand jobs, with accounting and bookkeeping clerks, administrative and executive secretaries, and advertising and marketing professionals being the top three.
