Paid Care Work in Malta
- In 2023, care workers made up almost one fifth of the total number of employed persons (19.8 per cent).
- The share of females in care jobs was three times as much as the share of males (32.7 and 10.9 per cent, respectively).
- On average, in 2023, females working in care occupations earned €7,622 less than their male counterparts.
- In 2023, care workers were more likely to engage in shift employment when compared to non-care workers, with a difference of 10.9 percentage points.
- More than half of the care workers attained a tertiary level of education, 24.9 percentage points higher when compared to the non-care workforce.
- Foreigners were particularly over-represented in assisting occupations, where almost half worked as Service and Sales Workers (48.8 per cent).
- In 2023, foreigners with a care job were earning an annual average gross salary of €27,586, €2,649 less than their Maltese counterparts.
Introduction
This release is based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a household survey used to monitor labour market trends across the European Union. The LFS is conducted according to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700, which establishes standardised rules for collecting and analysing data on individuals and households. It also follows Regulation (EU) 2020/257, which defines specific variables related to the labour force.
As the primary data source for identifying care work as employment, the LFS provides detailed insights into jobs and industries using internationally recognised classifications— ISCO-08 for occupations and NACE Rev. 2 for economic activities—making the data comparable internationally.
Care work is broadly defined as activities that address the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of both adults and children. This comprehensive concept acknowledges that care is needed throughout all life stages: “New-borns and young people…[and]…older persons [all] have physical, psychological, cognitive and emotional needs and require varying degrees of protection, care or support” (ILO, 2018).
The care workforce includes workers across various education levels, skill sets, sectors, and pay scales. It ranges from university professors, doctors and dentists to childcare workers and personal care workers. Care occupations span health, social, and education services, supported by other essential roles such as managers, technicians, and administrative staff. While these supporting roles are not classified as care workers, they are crucial to delivering care services. For this reason, this publication considers all occupations within the Human Health and Social Work Activities, and Education sectors as part of the care workforce. Domestic workers are also recognised as part of this essential workforce.
Unpaid Care Work
Care work can be either paid or unpaid. Unpaid care work includes providing care for others or managing household tasks without financial compensation. It can also involve assisting individuals outside one’s family or within institutions. A significant burden of unpaid care work can restrict a person’s ability to engage in paid employment or secure higher-quality job opportunities (ILO, 2018). According to LFS data, in 2023, 37.9 per cent of females who were not working attributed their situation to family responsibilities. This percentage was much lower for males (Table 1).
The unequal distribution of unpaid care work also affects the number of hours dedicated to paid employment. LFS data indicated that while the proportion of females in part-time work decreased from 28.5 per cent in 2014 to 18.6 per cent in 2023, it remained significantly higher than that of males, which stood at 7.1 per cent in 2023 (Table 2, Chart 1). Additionally, in the same year, almost two thirds of females were working on a part-time basis due to family or personal reasons, whereas only 28.4 per cent of males in part-time employment cited family commitments as the reason (Table 3).