Impact of digitalisation on workers discussed during seminar on future of work in Malta

The shift of many economic sectors and processes to the digital work has opened the door to tremendous opportunities that Maltese businesses can take advantage of to grow.

To do this, workers need to undergo continuous training to make sure that they keep abreast of technological advances.

These two themes were the topic of a seminar organised by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Social Dialogue entitled The Future of Work: Today and Tomorrow.

In his speech, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul spoke about the importance of this open discussion in order to hear what experts have to say on such an important topic of work.

“Work not only gives human dignity, but together with education, experience and training is the key to social mobility. Such seminars are very useful because there is strong coordination between the social partners and the Government, and thus we are increasingly ensuring that the future of work is fair and sustainable for all workers,” said the Parliamentary Secretary.

With regard to digitalisation, the Parliamentary Secretary acknowledged the rapid progress being made and stated that in order for no one to fall behind, the Government is committed to further strengthening the concept that continuous training should continue to be offered to keep up to date.

While praising the digital progress being made, he also recalled the importance of vocational work, and that the Government continues to invest in them.

The Parliamentary Secretary also stated that the Government will continue to strengthen workers’ rights and referred to some of the most crucial measures introduced last year, such as the introduction of paternity leave being paid in full, the two months of paid parental leave, and the five days of carers’ leave, which for those working in the public sector, one day is paid.

He added that the Government will continue to address the new realities of the labour market as it did for digital platform workers.

Dr Ellul also referred to the reform of the temping agencies, where he said that the Interministerial Committee and the legal team are continuously working together and meeting with all stakeholders to effect this reform with concrete and effective measures.

This seminar included two panels. The first panel touched on the impact of digitalisation on the world of work and workers, addressed by Diane Vella Muscat, Christine Calleja, Alexei Dingli, and Claudine Sciberras, while the second panel was on how to strengthen workers, where James Pearsall, David Xuereb, Ingrid Azzopardi, Jeffery Pullicino Orlando and Martin Borg spoke.