Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Unemployment Convention, 1919 (No. 2) - Malta (Ratification: 1965)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Measures to combat unemployment. The Government reports that the Employment and Training Services Act, 1996, established the country’s only free public employment service: Jobsplus. It adds that Jobsplus is a corporation led by a board of directors, appointed by the Minister of Labour, and that representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations are members of its Board. The Government indicates that Jobsplus provides a set of services aimed at bridging the gap between labour market supply and demand, including registering employment seekers, taking note of their qualifications and skills, and providing them with advice on choice of employment as well as providing necessary training and retraining. The Committee notes that, in 2016, Jobsplus received 103,215 applications for employment, 24,768 vacancy notifications, and placed 4,390 persons in employment. The Committee notes the significant increase in the number of requests for employment in 2016, compared to the 1,839 requests for employment reported by the Government in 2000. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, on the employment situation in the country, as well as on the results of the measures taken by Jobsplus to combat unemployment, particularly in respect of measures targeting disadvantaged groups and economically underprivileged areas. In addition, referring to its 2010 General Survey concerning employment instruments, the Committee invites the Government and the social partners to contemplate the possibility of ratifying more recent instruments regarding the issues covered by the Convention, that is, the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181).

Article 3. Unemployment insurance. The Government indicates that unemployed persons may be granted unemployment benefits if they meet certain criteria, such as a means test or a specific amount of national insurance contributions paid. The Government adds that there is no discrimination of foreign workers with regard to unemployment benefits, provided that they meet the specified criteria. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on unemployment insurance arrangements and their implementation.