Malta has undergone an extraordinary socio-economic transformation that has reshaped the kinds of work that Maltese people do and the paths they pursue, says Maria-Gabriele Doublesin.
Across Malta today, a question is being asked with increasing frequency and urgency: “Where are the Maltese?”
It appears in conversations about hospitals, buses, restaurants, construction sites, care homes and classrooms. It shows up in comments on social media, at family gatherings and around village squares. And although the words seem simple, the emotion behind them is anything but. This question speaks to a deeper collective discomfort – one that deserves to be understood, not dismissed.
It is undeniable that Malta looks different today than it did even two decades ago. Many of the people we now encounter in everyday public spaces are foreign workers: driving buses, staffing restaurants, assisting in healthcare, working in construction and supporting a range of services that keep the country running.
For those who grew up in a Malta where nearly every frontline worker was Maltese, this shift feels abrupt. The change is visible and visibility is powerful. When people ask, “Where are the Maltese?”, they are responding not to numbers in a spreadsheet but to the experience of looking around and seeing fewer Maltese faces in the roles that shape daily life.
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