Malta, which is expected to have 542,051 residents in 2022, mostly relies on foreign labor to fill open positions in a variety of industries. There is a scarcity of workers in the transportation, culinary, and hospitality industries, as well as business and administration.

This implies that people who want to live and work in Malta have a better chance of finding employment if they meet the requirements to cover these positions. To attract highly trained foreign workers, the Maltese government, specifically the Identita agency, launched the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI). For highly talented third-country nationals who are not eligible for the Key Employee Initiative but have the necessary academic or technical abilities for job offers in Malta, SEI provides an alternative.

Foreign laborers are acknowledged by the Malta Employer Association (MEA) as being an essential component of Malta’s logistics sector. President Joanne Bondin underlined the critical role that foreign workers play in sustaining and accelerating economic progress during the MEA-hosted 2023 National Forum.

The following jobs were listed as in-demand in Malta in the 2022 EURES report on labor surpluses and shortages:

1. Bookkeepers and accountants
2. Executive and administrative secretaries
3. Professionals in marketing and advertising
4. Workers in building construction
5. Drivers of cars, taxis, and vans
6. Cooks
7. Information clerks at contact centers
8. Clerks in general offices
9. Chief executives and managing directors
10. Workers in manufacturing who are not else classified
11. Package carriers, porters for bags, and messengers
12. supervisors of offices
13. Guards for security
14. Sales assistants in shops
15. developers of software
16. Waiters

Citizens of the EU, EEA, and Switzerland are exempt from the need for a visa in order to live and work in Malta. But they have to register with the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs within three months of arriving. To work in Malta, nationals of the following nations need a visa; the Maltese government provides three different kinds of work permits: EU Blue Card, Key Employment Initiative, and Single Permit.