Foreign workers are more inclined to improve and acquire new skills compared to their Maltese counterparts. This notable trend is highlighted in the final report of the 2022 Malta Skills Survey, issued by the National Statistics Office. The report offers a comprehensive overview of the skills landscape of individuals aged 15 to 64 living in the Maltese Islands.

The survey reveals that half of non-EU residents (50.3%) expressed a desire to enhance their skills, followed by EU nationals living in Malta at a slightly lower rate of 48.4%. In contrast, only 38.4% of Maltese nationals expressed a similar interest. However, when it comes to the willingness to attend training, interest levels were very high across all groups, with rates ranging between 91.6% and 95.1%.

Individuals with tertiary education were the most likely to show interest in continuous training, averaging 50.6%. Across all educational fields, over 90% of those wanting to improve their skills were willing to undergo further training. Among the 214,480 employed individuals, 43.8% expressed a desire to enhance their skills, with most willing to attend further training. Professionals, managers, and technicians/associate professionals were the occupational groups most interested in skill improvement.

More than 62% of those interested in improving their skills aimed to enhance skills related to their current job, while around 40% were interested in skills unrelated to their job at the time of the survey. Computer skills were the most commonly identified for improvement, followed by management skills. Those with secondary or lower education were most interested in improving computer skills, whereas individuals with tertiary education were more interested in enhancing management skills.

The report indicates that policies for workforce upskilling or reskilling should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, district of residence, educational attainment, and employment status influence the desire to enhance existing skills and acquire new ones, necessitating tailored approaches to meet these diverse needs.