Graduate unemployment

Abstract

I refer to Lawrence Zammit's letter (October 10). I agree with Mr Zammit's argument that the government's decision to expand the opportunities for learning at post-secondary and tertiary level was a very beneficial one. However, the conclusions reached by Mr Zammit are at times too superficial and do not do justice to the complexity of the problem. The large increase of university graduates in various disciplines has contributed towards a greater public and organisational awareness of the useful role they can play in Maltese society. Such awareness has helped to professionalise jobs within diverse fields such as statistics, communications, health care, psychology, and others. However, it is also true that with its approximately 149,000 employees, Malta has one of the smallest labour markets in the world. New work opportunities will not be generated as a direct consequence of an always increasing number of graduates. Employment vacancies are created through a healthy and viable economy, which goes beyond the simple availability of more graduates.