CC INTERVIEW “Malta is a regional hub and, in the aviation industry, not growing is dying. There could be an opportunity to bridge with, for example, North Africa, or other island states. There is a lot which can be done. There could be strategic investments, where partners of choice would contribute, not necessarily money, but expertise or connectivity,” he explains.
And, according to Dr Delia, a lot more can also be done for the island to capitalise on the opportunities of Brexit, as well as prepare itself for any eventual repercussions created in its wake. “Are we able to attract exiting companies to Malta? Are we able to propose a specific product package which could be offered
“We do have one important resource: human resources, raw talent.”
DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
to those seeking passporting rights in an EU country? Are we geared to have our industries poised to offer opportunities to the UK’s exiting structures? Again, Government has been silent. And again, a lot can be done to ensure that this is not something which will have a negative effect on Malta, but that it will be a challenge which we can confront,” he expounds. The key for prosperity in the future, for Dr Delia, lies in Malta’s greatest resource: its people. “We do have one important resource: human resources, raw talent.” But, this comes with a caveat. “We need to understand that we cannot simply be happy with zero unemployment.” Indeed, this is not just a numbers game, he maintains. “We cannot just be happy with low-end jobs which are barely enough for people to survive here. We cannot have people who are working 60 hours a week in order to make do until the end of the month,” he stresses. It is also essential to ensure adequate representation of women in a workforce which can cater to increasingly expanding industries, Dr Delia continues. “Government has been vociferously preaching that it is pro-women, but we need to understand the hurdles which women face, and which stop them participating in the work-force across the board. So, let us start engaging with the principal stakeholders in this debate: women. What do they need? What do they want? Why are they keeping back? Has Government listed the hurdles which keep women from entering the workforce, if they want to enter at all? Do we have statistics showing how many women want to join the workforce and cannot?” he asks. Dr Delia goes on to note the importance of instituting flexible employment conditions such as flexi-time and the establishment of remote working environments. “There’s so much you can do over the Internet, and that will also lock in to help solve transportation issues,” he continues. He links this to the need to understand the broader cultural foundations of Maltese society. “We need to understand whether Maltese society is geared for the changes this would imply, acknowledge, understand and plan for them,” he says, referring to the increase in the number of women in the workforce, going on to state that this rise cannot be solely attributed to Government. “We need to see why the numbers have started to increase. Is it because of incentives, or because of individual need?” he concludes. cc
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