Growth Industries
Advanced Manufacturing – An island nation whose only natural resource is its workforce, Malta over the past twenty years has moved from low end manufacturing to higher value-added operations. Today, Malta’s advanced manufacturing industry is focused on high end manufacturing such as precision engineering and electronics, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Close to 3000 manufacturing and distribution companies have operations in Malta, together employing 15 per cent of the labour force. The industry is made up of market leaders in high-tech production with a strong international reputation, transforming the islands into a centre of manufacturing excellence in the Mediterranean.
Information & Communication Technologies – Malta boasts a strong ICT sector with approximately 1,684 companies established in the sector. Over the past years, Malta has attracted a number of world renowned ICT companies including Cisco, Crimsonwing, Microsoft and Oracle. The activities of these companies vary from software development, hardware manufacture, e-commerce, shared services, online systems management, website development and digital media.
The sector is also a significant employer of skilled, resourceful personnel in Malta. Full time equivalent employment in the ICT sector remained stable during the last 4 years at between 7,836 in 2007 and 7,936 in 2010.
Life Sciences - Developments in life sciences are heavily conditioned by demographic trends. The human being lives longer as medical research develops techniques to support a high quality of life even in old age. Affluent consumers of health are increasingly travelling abroad for treatment thus opening up opportunities for growth for lower cost locations such as Malta. This trend is augmented by the greater demand for health services associated with ageing populations. Malta is one of the few countries with genetic homogeneity and with a genetic data bank for all citizens, thus making the country an ideal place for clinical trials of various pharmaceutical drugs and products.
The Australian Maltese Chamber of Commerce is a proud member of the European Australian Business Council. (EABC)