An agreement for free childcare has been signed, covering four years and amounts to €276.7 million, the Government said.

Prime Minister Robert Abela stated that this best agreement builds on previous agreements, but increases the investment each year during the applicable period.

Dr Abela said that all this confirms how a strong economy remains the key to the prosperity that we want to continue to create for Maltese and Gozitan families, and how this growth is being translated into concrete tasks that alleviate the burden and enhance the quality of life.

He stressed that for the Government, free childcare is not an expense but an investment in families. He said that the Government supports the different choices of families and has even introduced new rights in favour of work-life balance.

The PM noted that Malta provides 210 hours of free childcare per month are being allocated, with an average of 50 hours per week, for each child. A study by the Central Bank shows that the free childcare scheme has led to an increase of 6,200 women in the world of work, which means almost €180 million more in wage income for families.

Today, the rate of women in the world of work has reached almost 75%, when before 2013 it was below 50%. All this has led to Malta, from a country with the second lowest employment rate in Europe, today being among the best. “Therefore, free childcare is considered an investment that continues to bring economic and social benefits to the country,” stressed the Prime Minister.

Labour Minister Byron Camilleri said, “one of the priorities we set when we began negotiating this agreement, not only as the Minister responsible, but also as the father of a daughter who benefits from Childcare and who I want to see speak Maltese fluently, is that we not only retain Maltese-speaking childcare workers in the sector but also encourage others to choose this career.”

Photo: DOI/Clodagh O’Neill

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