The Centre for Labour Studies (CLS) at the University of Malta held an online event on Tuesday 22 June 2021 to present the findings of a study on income inequalities in Malta.
The event was opened by the Director of the CLS, Dr Luke Fiorini, who highlighted that the study was conducted in view of a lack of clarity on how income inequalities had changed in Malta over the years.
Mr Gilmour Camilleri and Mr Melchior Vella, who carried out the study itself, then presented its key findings, highlighting amongst others, that different measures of inequality provide different pictures of inequality in Malta. Furthermore, several factors were found to drive inequalities in Malta.
Among these factors are education levels, labour market status, and the occupation of household members.
The study also found modest inequality increasing during the period 2005 and 2018, which was mildly neutralised through government intervention.
Finally, the study concluded that without policy intervention, the imperfectness of the labour market can result in further inequality. Thus an important implication for policy is to reduce further barriers to economic inclusion as the benefits of growth can easily become battered by its downsides due to the roles of globalisation, technology and market forces.
The findings of this study were then discussed by a panel of academics and representatives of social partner organisations. These included; Mr Kevin Camilleri - Deputy Secretary General, GWU; Ms Isabelle Farrugia - Assistant Director, UHM – Voice of the Workers; Mr Joseph Farrugia - Director General, MEA; Dr Daniel Gravino – Lecturer, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy, University of Malta; and Dr Anne Marie Thake - Head of Department, Department of Public Policy, Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy, University of Malta. This panel discussion was chaired by Dr Anna Borg - Senior Lecturer, Centre for Labour Studies.
The event was closed by the Chair of the CLS, Professor Godfrey Baldacchino.
The key findings of the study can be accessed online.