Leonid McKay appointed Jobsplus CEO

Leonid McKay has been officially appointed Jobsplus CEO, the Home Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday.

He replaces Alexia Vella who had been appointed agency CEO in 2020 when Finance Minister Clyde Caruana moved from Jobsplus CEO to become Robert Abela’s chief of staff.

The Sofia inquiry had slammed the agency over its poor handling and monitoring of work permits issued to foreign nationals, adding there was lack of coordination between Jobsplus and Identity Malta that is responsible for residence permits.

Jobsplus was transferred from Finance Minister Clyde Caruana’s responsibility to that of Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri last month.

The Prime Minister’s decision to transfer Jobsplus to Camilleri’s portfolio was intended to bring about greater coordination between the two agencies. However, it was also a political snub to his finance minister.

McKay, who is a social researcher who has always advocated evidence-based policy making.

McKay was director of Caritas Malta between 2014 and 2018 where he carried out research on The Minimum Essential Budget for a Decent Living and the minimum wage, the adequacy of welfare benefits and labour market exploitation of migrant workers in Malta.

He was appointed CEO of the Housing Authority in 2018, a post he occupied until 2022. At the Housing Authority, McKay oversaw the implementation of several rent reforms.

In 2022, he was appointed CEO at the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis, which issued its first cannabis association licences earlier this year, fulfilling a key function of the regulator that was set up in the wake of liberalisation of cannabis for recreational use.

The ministry thanked Alexia Vella for her work at the agency.