Find a Job in Malta

Finding a job in Malta as a foreigner is extremely possible, but one needs to understand the labour market and how their skills and experience can help them land a job on the island. There are many avenues where one can look at to find a job on the island – job sites like Muovo, Broadwing, Jobsplus, and EURES are constantly updated with new open positions across all industries and levels of experience. Subscribing to job newsletters is also a good idea as you can efficiently view job postings in your identified fields.

Since Malta is an EU member, EU, EFTA, EEA citizens can move to and work in Malta freely but need to get a Maltese ID card within 3 months of moving here. Candidates outside these those will require a work permit.

UK citizens will have a slightly different process after BREXIT. The rules will remain unchanged until January 1st 2021 and UK citizens who currently live in Malta or move to Malta before the cut-off date will need to apply for a special 10 year residence permit. More information can be found here.

Third-country nationals need a work permit through a potential employer to be able to get a visa and work permit in Malta.

For more information about visas, work permits and moving to Malta, one can visit Identity Malta’s Expatriate Page.

Whilst Maltese is the national language, English is an official language too, so any official documentation from the government will arrive in Maltese and English. 88% of the population is bilingual with many also speaking a third language. Of these languages, Italian is the most widely spoken but French and German are also commonly spoken.

Work hours are usually between 8 or 9am till 5pm and the work week is 40 hours which may be adjusted to 48 hours with the extra 8 hours paid as overtime, at 1.5 times the normal hourly rate (Legislation 452.110). On a yearly basis one has 27 days of paid vacation leave although individual companies may add a few extra days to this. This complements 14 public holidays per year.

Probationary period is legally 6 months, although this may vary amongst the higher salary jobs. This means that an employer doesn’t need a reason to terminate employment during this period, while the employee can do the same without working any notice period.

Tax rates are between 15% and 35% depending on your annual gross income although the majority of people fall under the 15% – 25% bracket. To check how much one will be paying in Tax and Social Security Contribution, kindly visit www.checkmysalary.mt/

Healthcare in Malta is free and highly accessible. This may vary depending on one’s current employment/residence status. Malta regularly tops lists of the best healthcare systems and is one of the Most trusted systems in the World. Having said that, there are a number of smaller, specialised private hospitals and most people living in Malta make use of private clinics for routine check-ups, dentistry, ophthalmology, dermatology and physiotherapy despite being provided free of charge by the government. Many ex-pats living here, especially in leading industries, have private health insurance as part of their pay packages although one can get private medical insurance for a reasonable yearly fee.

Education in Malta is compulsory from ages 5 up to 16 and is provided for free by the government. Apart from state schools, there are a number of church and independent schools available on the island. Tertiary education is also available and provided for free (subject to criteria being met for foreigners) at University of Malta and MCAST. There are also a number of private tertiary educational institutes and colleges which are accredited and affiliated with leading British, US and European universities and educational institutes.

One can see how Malta holds up against other countries over here – www.versus.com/en/malta

Sources and further reading

• Healthcare in Malta
• Health insurance
• Education
• Tax in Malta – Taxation or Individuals / Tax Rates 2020

The process of moving to a new country can be daunting. You have found a job in Malta or started the process of securing one but what’s next?

Malta is a top destination for ex-pats given its 300 days of sun, easy-going lifestyle, stable economy and various leisure and cultural activities for your free time. There are a number of things that one needs to take care of before relocating to Malta.

In terms of work permits and visas, kindly look at ‘’How to get a job as a foreigner’’. After visa and work permit issues have been sorted one must plan out a relocation timeline, this is important as it will help you better manage your time before beginning the journey. The timeline should include time for searching for housing and educational institutions for your children. It is also recommended to start settling your affairs in your current country to make your move seamless – these include paying off any utilities and subscriptions such as Internet, TV and mobile. It is also a good idea to check in with your local tax office to make sure that your tax status is up to date and all dues are paid.

it is wise to have a look at Malta’s tax regime and employment conditions to familiarise yourself with them.

Budgeting is highly important, although some companies may provide an apartment for a couple of weeks till one lands on their feet, it is always wise to plan well for securing an apartment. Landlords will request a security deposit (usually 1 months’ rent), and they may also ask for the first 2 months upfront so do keep this in mind. It is also a good idea to take a look at tenants’ laws and rights in Malta which were recently updated.

Start gathering any other important documents which you will need for your move and understand which departments you will need to visit to complete your move and set up your next chapter in Malta. Your new employers’ HR department may help you out with this, though it is best to understand where you need to go and what you need to take with before making the move.

If relocating to Malta with a pet, one should also update their vaccination book and perform a medical check-up as this may be needed with the authorities when filing the necessary documentation and collect any certificates and documentation which you might need from the vet.

Finally, reach out to your network and check who might be living in Malta and ask them for any suggestions that can help you settle in as seamlessly as possible. Your new employers’ HR department will also be able to help you out so do not be afraid to ask. Relocation can be a daunting task and an important step in your life so reaching out and having a support network will help you land safely on your feet. Should you need help with relocation, visit Broadwing’s Malta Safe landing Programme.

During 2019 Q4, unemployment in Malta stood at a record low of 3.2%. This is down to an open market economic policy, multilingual job opportunities and population whilst having well-developed ICT, iGaming and Financial clusters. Malta is also known for its favourable taxation regime which attracts a lot of foreign companies opening up branches or moving their operations to the island. A large chunk of the economy is tourism-dependent (27%) which together with Manufacturing (10%) and iGaming (12%), employ a large portion of the working population.

Moreover, Financial services have boomed in recent years to account for 12% of GDP which has seen Corporate Service providers requiring more tax, legal and compliance professionals. In addition, Malta has one of the fastest internet networks in the EU which covers the entire country making it highly connected and has enabled the island to make considerable progress in the IT industries. However, a lack of local IT professionals and skills have made the industry reliant on foreign professionals resulting in attractive wages and perks.

Overall, the average nominal GDP per Capita in Malta is around $30,000 or €26,000 (statistics based on 2019 economic review and vary according to industry & experience level)

More information through the below links:

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-biggest-industries-in-malta.html

https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-performance-and-forecasts/economic-performance-country/malta/economic-forecast-malta_en

Malta is quite vibrant having a number of historical influences and being a bilingual nation (English and Maltese are official languages) it is easy to integrate into your local community. In addition, Italian is widely spoken with a number of locals speaking French, German and Spanish. Having around 100,000 expats living in Malta, many other languages are spoken together with a number of expat communities.

Apart from direct expat communities, there are also many industry communities especially in the iGaming sector which have regular meetups which are not only educational but also social as at the end of the day they are networking events. These many expat communities may be found on social media such as Facebook and they also organise a number of cultural events such as on holidays from their home country including Independence Day. One final tip is to register with the local embassy that you are living in Malta as this will allow the opportunity to be invited to embassy events and be introduced to the local community.

https://www.internations.org/malta-expats

While Malta is generally quite affordable, certain factors must be considered. It’s an island with limited natural resources and most of its goods are imported which means that prices might be impacted. Another factor is that due to its recent economic boom, expat popularity and lack of housing supply in recent years, some areas are much more expensive to rent than others.

On average, a 2 bedroomed apartment will be in the region of €700 – €1000 depending on the areas although as mentioned, some areas will be more expensive with Sliema and St Julians, having many modern complexes having rents as high as €1,500 – €2000 monthly. Utilities may seem high at around €100 per apartment/month (water, electricity, internet) but in Malta one doesn’t pay property or maintenance taxes.

Public transport, although there are still some lingering issues, is pretty efficient and cheap with monthly passes costing around €40. Healthcare is free for EU citizens and while non-EU citizens have access to the governmental healthcare system provided that they pay social security etc, it varies depending on the residence permit one possesses. It is wise that you check this out thoroughly in the links attached below.

Groceries and lifestyle costs vary according to what one is used to and their willingness to switch to local products. On average, you can be expected to spend around €200-€300 per month on groceries and while some locals products are relatively cheap, these shouldn’t be used as a benchmark of affordability.

Going out, getting your hair done and other leisure activities depend on what one is accustomed to as mentioned. A dinner for 2 in a local restaurant will generally be around €40 although this may vary by locality etc. Local Beer (1/2 pint) is around €2 while a cinema ticket is around €8, on the other hand an espresso is around €1 – €1.50. You can see how your country compares to Malta here and view a breakdown of average costs in Malta here.

• Healthcare in Malta – https://www.welcome-center-malta.com/the-maltese-health-care-system-explained/
• Health Insurance – https://maltaguides.co/life/health-insurance/