[WATCH] Government to stop wage supplement scheme next month

Government will conclude the wage supplement scheme at the end of May, having spent €720 million on the COVID-19 support scheme.

Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia announced that the scheme will be coming to a close next month. “The amount that government put into this scheme […] was substantial.”

Main sectors that benefitted from government's wage supplement

Apart from this scheme, Malta Enterprise’s quarantine leave scheme will also come to a close next Monday due to the lifting of COVID-19 measures.

Farrugia said that Malta Enterprise received 17,000 applciations in the first weeks after the scheme was announced. Since then, 120,000 employees benefitted from the wage supplement scheme. 

70% of the approved applications were for self-employed workers, while 26% of the applications approved came from companies. Partnerships, voluntary organisations and cooperatives made up 4% of the approved applications. 

The hospitality, food, retail and services industries received the largest volume of support throught he scheme. 

Enterprise minister Miriam Dalli said that support for businesses will not stop completely but will instead shift towards measures that enhance regeneration, 

"For businesses to thrive we need to make sure that we support them in transitioning towards greener and more sustainable operations that also embrace digitalisation," she said.