Malta’s efforts to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce are facing renewed scrutiny after a study found that many major employers continue to fall below the country’s statutory employment requirement.
The research, examining diversity, equality and inclusion practices across 10 large organisations operating in Malta, found that most of the companies studied had not reached the required level of disability employment. Rather than filling the available positions, some employers had opted to make the financial contribution required when the quota was not achieved.
Under Malta’s Persons with Disability (Employment) Act, employers with more than 20 workers are expected to have people with disabilities account for at least 2% of their workforce. Jobsplus confirms that employers unable to meet the requirement can instead be required to make an annual contribution, subject to a maximum of €10,000 (USD 11,500).
The study by researchers Anna Marie Thake and JosAnn Cutajar examined five Maltese-owned businesses and five companies belonging to multinational groups. The organisations covered a broad range of industries, including insurance, construction, transport, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy and financial services. The researchers cautioned against interpreting the qualitative sample as representative of every employer in Malta.
One of the concerns highlighted was that disability inclusion can sometimes be treated primarily as a compliance exercise. In some workplaces, human resources policies existed on paper, but recruitment practices and workplace arrangements had not necessarily removed the obstacles faced by prospective employees with disabilities.
Recruitment procedures by themselves can also create difficulties. The research identified an example involving psychometric testing that may unintentionally disadvantage applicants with intellectual disabilities. Other companies reportedly had employees with disabilities who were not registered with the National Commission for Persons with Disability, complicating efforts to establish whether employers were meeting the statutory requirement.
The issue comes as Malta continues to record growth in disability employment. Government figures cited in a 2025 statement said the number of people with disabilities in employment had risen from just over 3,600 in 2019 to almost 5,400.
Jobsplus also provides incentives to employers, including wage subsidies and fiscal support for eligible recruitment.
The latest findings nevertheless underline a continuing challenge: increasing employment numbers is only one part of workplace inclusion. For Malta’s employers, the broader question is whether recruitment, accommodation and career-development practices are sufficiently flexible to permit people with disabilities to enter and progress through the labour market.
