UpGrad_Me 2.0_Research_FV_EN

5 foreigners, who face difficulties in accessing the labour market. Malta is the country less affected by this crisis, with the best recuperation rate among the partner countries. Italy In Italy a large gap persists between female and male employment rates. Regarding the youth, the Italian specificity concerns the high percentage of NEETs (relatively young people who are not working nor studying) equal to 23.4% in 2018. There are also huge differences between regions: Northern Italy emerged from the crisis, with results often in line with, if not above the European average, in almost all the indicators considered; on the contrary, the south continues to recede, widening the historic gap between the north and south of the country. Malta The economic context in Malta is positive, being the main factor of a very low rate of unemployment (3.3% in February 2020) and an economic growth that has produced a demand of foreign workers. This demand is being covered with a significant influx of EU citizens and Third Country Nationals, who have played a big role in the strong economic growth in Malta, which has one of the highest GDP rates in the EU. As for the unemployed, there is a notorious difference in the age group, with the 15 – 24-year-old unemployment rate being much higher than the 25-74 year-old cohort (ie. November 2020 was 11.4% for the 15-24 compared to 4% for the 25- 74). In terms of sex, men’s unemployment in November was 3.3% and women was 4.1%. These figures are similar to the previous year. Despite the pandemic circumstances, the unemployment rate in Malta remained below the rest of the countries in the euro area. Cyprus The Department of Labor is under the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and is responsible for issues of: employment and labour market, combating discrimination and promoting the principle of equality in the workplace. Additionally, the Department is responsible for providing employment services and filling jobs, protecting special employment groups and monitoring the functioning of the labour market and coordinating the National Employment Policy. The Department of Labour examines employers' applications for the employment of foreigners and issues in principle approvals for the short-term treatment of labor shortages observed in specific sectors and professions. The examination of employers' requests for employment of foreigners is based primarily on the lack of possibility to satisfy the specific needs of the employer with the local labour force (Cypriot or European citizens), which is established after a survey of the relevant Department of the Department of Labour. The main objective of the Department of Labor is to ensure full compliance with the employment criteria of foreign workers in the framework of the smooth functioning of the labor market