The unemployed labour force aged 40 years and over in Malta

Abstract

This paper will analyze the perceptions of unemployed members of the labour force aged 40 years and over in Malta vis-à-vis their chances to find stable employment.

The paper shall include an overview of socio-economic development and social policy in Malta, and it shall present various sociological concepts in relation to the issue at stake, including post-Fordism; knowledge society; ageism; social capital; and discouragement. Through the theories of overdetermination and multiple identities, it shall be argued that ageing unemployed workers are a distinct non-homogenous social group

Malta is a micro-state member of the European Union (E.U.). Its recent membership in the E.U. (2004) with the consequent implementation of the principles of the Lisbon Strategy give the ideal setting for this analysis.

In view of this, this paper presents results of research conducted on a sample of 40+ unemployed workers undergoing a specialized E.U. co-sponsored training and employment scheme.

Therefore, by means of theory and research we attempt to present an analysis of the contemporary transitional situation as well as its social policy implications.