Main drivers and obstacles in job mobility

The Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) commissioned research on obstacles to job mobility. The study was conducted among unemployed persons who registered with ETC as well as those who used European employment services in Malta. Among the barriers identified were linguistic and cultural factors, legal and bureaucratic difficulties, and social issues. The main triggers for working abroad were better working conditions and better income.

Background to the study

The issue of job mobility has become an important factor in the EU labour market due to a combination of unemployment and skill shortages that are being faced by several Member States. In March 2007, Malta’s Public Employment Service, the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC), together with the private Impetus Europe Consulting Group, published a research study on [Obstacles to mobility (261Kb PDF)](http://etc.gov.mt/docs/2007 ETC Research Study on Obstacles to Mobility Final Report.pdf). The research focused on a number of points, namely the major obstacles that are faced by jobseekers, past experiences of persons who have worked abroad, the job search techniques used and an analysis of the European employment services EURES.

Methodology

The study is divided into two sections. It sets out with a literature review of all relevant information about migration issues and labour mobility within the EU. Following this, a number of telephone surveys were conducted among a sample of 500 unemployed jobseekers who are either registered with ETC or have used EURES services in the past.

The respondents who participated in this survey were aged between 18 and 24 years, and between 45 and 54 years. In terms of gender distribution, 80.8% of respondents were men and 19.2% were women. Some 60.2% of the respondents were single and without children. The majority of the respondents, representing 58% of the persons surveyed, had a general secondary level of education, and 26.2% of these had an elementary job as their last occupation.

Obstacles towards mobility

The main difficulty that many European citizens (44%) cite when looking for a job abroad is the loss of direct contact with relatives and friends. The majority of Maltese citizens (54%) also claim that this is the main difficulty. One plausible reason for such an answer could be related to the size of the island, which creates a culture with strong family ties. Among the other barriers for job mobility, respondents quoted the following aspects:

• loss of support from family and friends (27% of EU and 21% of Maltese citizens);

• the problem of finding a job (29% of both EU and Maltese citizens);

• adapting to a different culture (23% of EU and 33% of Maltese citizens);

• language skills (18% of EU and 11% of Maltese citizens);

• commuting time (2% of EU and 19% of Maltese citizens).

Respondents also faced a number of bureaucratic difficulties, including the transfer of pension rights, obtaining residence and work permits, as well as problems relating to education and qualification, healthcare and social benefits systems.

Motives to work abroad

Although a number of barriers exists that hinder mobility, several drivers have been perceived that motivate people to work abroad. Respondents gave a mixture of material and non-material reasons for working abroad, such as better income and working conditions, better weather conditions and discovering a new environment. Although Maltese citizens cite the same preferences as other European citizens, it is interesting to note the different emphasis on the various aspects. For example, the following preferences were given:

• improved earnings and better income (21% of EU and 33% of Maltese citizens);

• improved local environment and amenities (10% of EU and 20% of Maltese citizens);

• better weather conditions (18% of EU and 3% of Maltese citizens).

Other pull factors given by the survey respondents are access to better childcare, school and university education, better healthcare facilities and social benefits, as well as to discover a new environment and/or to learn a new language, better housing conditions and to meet new people.

Further information

For European-level information, see the Foundation’s Eurobarometer survey publications on geographical and labour market mobility.

Christine Farrugia and Manwel Debono, Centre for Labour Studies