National Strategic Reference Framework

MALTA – National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 Draft Document for Consultation
agriculture. Economic seasonality has an important impact on the Gozitan labour market.
Low participation rates, especially for women largely reflect the unavailability of full
time productive jobs in Gozo, leading to seasonal, part-time and irregular employment.
The Gozitan labour market is characterised by a lack of appropriate skills, including skill
mismatches and negative attitudes towards labour market employment. In addition, the
seasonal nature of tourism reinforces the trend in part-time employment as a primary
occupation and lends itself to a higher rate of unemployment in the winter and shoulder
months than in the summer months.
The economic and labour market status quo warrants interventions on various fronts to
ensure a skilled labour force and to create the much needed job opportunities in Gozo.
The fact that an increasing number of higher education students from Gozo have to
commute to Malta on a regular basis to continue education / undergo training highlights
the need to step up investment in human capital through an increase in the provision of
vocational education, training and retraining schemes on the island. There is also a need
to increase labour market participation rates, particularly female participation; improve
the employability of the unemployed; reduce labour market frictions; and encourage the
unemployed particularly those with entrepreneurial potential to engage in entrepreneurial
activity.
Infrastructure
Access to and from the port of Mgarr, as well as, within the island itself is highly
congested and, at times, is totally blocked in strategic parts of the island. This congestion
exerts a significant negative impact on the environment and on economic activity,
notably tourism. This situation calls for higher investment in road infrastructure and in
particular the construction of a new access road at the lower junction of the port of Mgarr
so as to ensure access to and from this only entry and exit point at all times. Mobility
within and around Gozo needs to be improved through the reconstruction and upgrading
of parts of the road network. Better infrastructure is expected to go a long way to mitigate
transport inefficiencies and associated costs faced by Gozo’s economic operators and
consumers.
Equally important is the need to upgrade waste management systems in Gozo in order to
ensure the protection of the environment as well improving environmental, social and
economic conditions on the island. Equally important is the need to meet health
infrastructure requirements on the island of Gozo.