UpGrad_Me 2.0_Research_FV_EN

7 Malta Refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection (SP) and beneficiaries of temporary humanitarian protection (THP) are entitled to access the labour market, both as employees and self-employed workers. However, in order to do so, such persons must an employment license issued by the national employment service (Jobsplus) in their own name. Regarding asylum seekers, they are also granted a working permit through their employer. In practice, employers are frequently discouraged from applying for the permits because of their short-term nature and the administrative burden associated with the application. According to Jobsplus, employed Asylum Applicants and Beneficiaries of Protection have increased over the past decade in Malta. At the end of 2019, 91% were males whilst the remaining 9% were females. The majority of these migrants are aged between 30-54 years (60%); followed by 21% of those in the 25-29 age cohort and 18% are aged under 25 years. Migrants aged 30-54 years maintained their highest share. Apart from this data, there is no specific information available on young MNAR. Information regarding occupation groups is only provided for Third Country Nationals. The main sectors of employment for migrants are construction, manufacturing, accommodation and food service, in low skilled positions. To understand the Maltese context, it is important to highlight that the high demand for workers together with the influx of migrants has fueled the informal job market. This means that official data about employment show only part of the picture. Cyprus Cyprus in recent years has shown significant improvement in equality and non-discrimination issues by signing international Conventions or protocols to ensure the protection of human rights. Also, the accession of Cyprus to the EU and the harmonization of national law with European law, resulted in the adoption of a legislative framework that provides broad protection against discrimination. Young MNAR belonging to any legal status still face various challenges. Their access to the fields of employment, education, psychosocial support and medical coverage is limited. This can have a negative effect on their social engagement. In the worst cases, this condition leads to loss of their legal status leading to irregularity. As such, this makes them more vulnerable to further discrimination and social exclusion. In the past 10 years (2008 – 2018), based on the asylum Information database, the Republic of Cyprus has granted asylum to 9,769 refugees. Due to the situation in the surrounding countries, a great increase in arrivals has beeing observed in the last two years. The Asylum Services for 2018 received 6,617 asylum applications. Of these applications, 1,011 individuals were given an international protection status, 191 were granted refugee status, and 154 were unaccompanied minors.