In the shadow of Malta’s gleaming skyscrapers and bustling construction sites, a hidden workforce toils in silence, too afraid to speak out against exploitation, abuse, and systematic violations of their basic rights.

A new report by the Jesuit Refugee Service Malta reveals the stark reality facing thousands of undocumented and legally precarious migrant workers who have become the invisible backbone of Malta’s economic success.

The investigation, titled “Forced to Hide: The Human Cost of Legal Precarity and Labour Exploitation in Malta,” exposes how fear of deportation has created a climate where workers accept the unacceptable, unpaid wages, dangerous working conditions, verbal abuse, and even physical exploitation, rather than risk losing their jobs and facing removal from the country.

“Without documents, people exploit you,” one undocumented worker told researchers, capturing the vulnerability that defines daily life for thousands in Malta’s shadow economy. Another described his workplace reality: “They make me feel as though I have to be a robot. Just working. Not allowed to get sick.”

Among others, the report highlights challenges with police interactions, noting that migrants and asylum seekers face difficulties when reporting crimes, with authorities often prioritising their legal status over their complaints.

The report also exposes that the fear of being reported to immigration authorities by employers or others prevents people from seeking help from the police or other state institutions, even when they are victims of crimes or exploitation.

It describes a system where the reliance on precarious legal status creates an environment ripe for exploitation, which disproportionately affects migrant workers. This systemic issue, as described in the report, leads to a de facto situation where migrants are more vulnerable and less able to access legal protections than other members of society.

A history of migration

Malta’s relationship with migration represents a dramatic historical reversal. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Malta was a country of emigration, with significant portions of its population leaving for Australia, the UK, and the US to escape overpopulation and unemployment.

The island’s position at the Mediterranean crossroads and its colonial history under various powers – from the Normans to the Knights of St. John to the British Empire – had long made it a cultural melting pot.

In the 21st century, this dynamic reversed entirely. Malta became a country of immigration, with a growing population of foreign nationals, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa and other non-EU countries.

This shift was driven by Malta’s acute need for labor to support its booming economy and offset its aging local population. However, sociological challenges emerged as the traditionally homogeneous local population struggled to adapt to increased multiculturalism, with migrants, especially black and brown people, facing intersectional oppression, racism, and what researchers term a “precarity of belonging.”

Daily realities of fear

The report’s findings paint a disturbing picture of systematic exploitation. Workers described being paid whatever employers wanted, having money deducted from wages supposedly for taxes that were never paid, and being forced to work up to 10 hours daily without breaks.

One construction worker recounted being watched by cameras and immediately fired if anything fell from a factory conveyor belt, describing the conditions as “slavery work.”

The psychological toll is immense. “I am 47 years old and still supported by my mother. This gives me shame,” said one worker juggling multiple jobs to survive Malta’s rising cost of living while sending money home to family.

For undocumented workers, the fear extends beyond workplace exploitation. Recent government raids targeting migrant communities have intensified anxiety. “Everyone tells you to go back to your country, and you know the government is trying to do that,” explained one undocumented worker. “Always looking for a way to send you back. You cannot trust anyone. You are always nervous of what is going to happen next.”

Systemic failures

The report identifies multiple systemic failures contributing to this crisis. Malta’s Single Work Permit system ties legal residence to specific employers, creating power imbalances that facilitate abuse. Workers have just 10 days to find new employment if they lose their jobs, a timeframe recently proposed to increase to 30 days, still far below EU standards of three to six months.

The removal of previous regularization pathways has left thousands in legal limbo. The Specific Residence Authorisation (SRA) status, once available to long-term rejected asylum seekers who had established lives in Malta, was discontinued in 2020. This change pushed more people into undocumented status, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation.

Protection rates for asylum seekers have plummeted to historic lows, just 6% in 2022, with slight increases to 15% in 2023 and 9% in 2024. Meanwhile, arrivals by sea have dropped dramatically from over 3,400 in 2019 to just 27 in 2025, largely due to increasingly restrictive policies rather than reduced need for protection.

The human cost

Trade union representatives confirmed that exploitation has become the business model for some companies. “The role of the trade union should be to make a fair level playing field for everyone to avoid exploitation,” said one representative, noting that workers are often threatened with deportation if they report violations.

Healthcare access presents another crisis. Undocumented migrants are frequently turned away from essential medical services or face unaffordable bills. Many cannot access prescribed medications when documentation expires, creating cycles of deteriorating health that further limit employment opportunities.

Language barriers compound these challenges, sometimes becoming safety issues in dangerous work environments. Cultural barriers also exist, with some migrant workers associating trade unions with corrupt government institutions from their home countries, leaving them without advocacy when facing exploitation.

Economic prosperity and human rights

The report makes urgent recommendations for reform. First, it calls for reintroducing regularisation pathways that acknowledge migrants’ contributions to Maltese society beyond just tax payments, recognising integration efforts and community ties.

Second, it demands prioritizing workers’ rights regardless of legal status. This includes implementing “firewall” protections ensuring migrant workers can report violations without fear of immigration consequences, and shifting workplace inspections from checking worker documentation to investigating employer violations.

Finally, it urges creating dialogue spaces between civil society, migrants, and policymakers to address these systemic issues collaboratively.

The contradiction is stark: Malta issued 33,455 first-time residence permits to third-country nationals in 2024, demonstrating its economic dependence on migrant labor, while simultaneously implementing policies that render many of these same workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

As one skilled undocumented worker put it: “I have skills that many people don’t have. My boss wants to keep me here, for me to get documents. Malta needs workers, they are always bringing them from abroad. I am already here. I speak the language, I know the culture.”

The report concludes that Malta’s economic success story remains incomplete while it’s built on the systematic exploitation of those who have contributed most to its construction.

True prosperity requires not just economic growth, but ensuring human dignity and rights for all who contribute to building it, from the construction sites to the kitchens, from the factories to the care homes where Malta’s future is literally being built by those forced to remain in the shadows.

Source: Newsbook.com.mt

Article written by Jurgen Balzan