Island Of Industry

There’s a rather endearing folk tradition in Malta called il-quccija. On a child’s first birthday, friends and family gather round while the baby is encouraged to pick from a selection of objects placed on the floor.

- Dominic Bliss

The choice of object suggests what the baby’s eventual career might be. In the old days, on o er were items such as a bible (priest), a pencil (writer), a book (teacher), a boiled egg (lots of children) or a knitting needle (seamstress).

In today’s Malta, il-quccija is still widely practised, only there are new objects now, reflecting the influx of contemporary industries flourishing on this Mediterranean island. Twenty-first-century babies might also be offered a calculator (accountant), a computer mouse (IT specialist) or a credit card (banker).

Ever since Malta joined the European Union in 2004, and the Eurozone four years after that, its economy has been growing steadily. “In recent years, Malta has seen high GDP growth, strong employment growth, a budget surplus and a buoyant services sector,” the European Commission stated in a report in February this year, predicting economic growth of 5.2 per cent in 2019 and 4.6 per cent in 2020. Unemployment rates are low – only 3.8 per cent in January this year, the sixth-lowest across the EU.

The Maltese Business Bureau, part of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, o ers advice to businesses looking to invest or relocate. “Malta has been welcoming investors since the early 1950s,” says Ana Vella, its senior executive, business advisory and support. “Ever since joining the EU, we’ve enjoyed consistent growth and are fast becoming the country of choice for a number of multinational companies looking for an ideal market within the EU.”