In spite of the fact that this country has made great progress in many sectors there are still examples of inequality to be found. 

One of the inequalities is the discrepancy between a man’s salary and a woman’s salary. According to information provided by the National Office of Statistics, this discrepancy increases in the case of women with a tertiary level of education. In the context of the job market, Malta still has the largest discrepancy between male and female workers in spite of the efforts being made to encourage women to work. 

Apart from this, workers are working long hours, some going from one job to another to earn a living and maintain their lifestyle and bring a sense of normality to their loved ones. It could be that these people may be increasing their income but they are certainly not living better. 

Young couples are finding it impossible to borrow money from the bank to buy a decent place to live.  Unfortunately, those who are within the rental market are facing increased rents that leave them with even less in hand out of their take-home pay. 

There is also the issue of pensions. Thank God that our elderly are living longer but some are not making their money last to the end of the month. The pension raise, that the Government was so proud of in the last budget, is being swallowed up by rising rents, increased cost of living and medical expenses. 

All this is leading to an increase in the incidence of mental health problems, pressures on family life and an eroding of social welfare that contrasts sharply with the surplus that the Government has long been lauding.  

We therefore need to pull together all the different efforts and focus on a development of the economic plan for today and the future – a plan that is built on safeguarding citizens’ lives, especially those who are vulnerable, and not on the boasting of figures and percentages.  At the end of the day we would wish to see a surplus where the workers and their families could have a decent life today and in the future.