Employee shortage biggest issue small businesses facing

May 8 2023

According to a newly released survey of 415 businesses, commissioned by the Chamber for Small and Medium Businesses, employee shortage and rising inflation are the two main concerns being faced by small and medium businesses.

Employee shortage registered the highest score in terms of concern, followed by increase in inflation and then issues with late payments, unfair competition and skills mismatch respectively.

The lowest concerns were the weakening of the euro and environmental compliance, followed by an access to supplies.

Meanwhile, when asked which two biggest issues the country is facing and the businesses would wish the government address, respondents replied with ‘increase in inflation’, followed by lack of good governance.

65% of businesses thought that Malta needs to rethink the direction it is heading, with 35% thinking Malta is moving in the right direction.

In terms of size, 56% registered 1 to 9 employees, followed by 29% with 10 to 49 employees. This was followed by 13.5% at 50 to 249 employees and 1.5% for 249+.

53% off businesses are in the retail, import, distribution and wholesale line of business, followed by manufacturing, construction, machinery and production at 17%.

Professional services followed in third place at 15%, whereas education, training & schools came last at just 5%.

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Man arrested over breaking into and stealing from cars

May 8 2023

A 33-year-old English man was arrested after immediate action by the Malta Police Force after having reportedly stolen from parked vehicles.

At around 0030hrs on Sunday morning, police were informed that a man was loitering around cars and was raising suspicion in Triq Vitale, Mġarr.

Police convened immediately on site, and immediately began searching for the man. A man who matched the description was located a few minutes later, which led to searches on his person.

It was found that certain vehicles in the area were open, with various objects, including money, found on the man.

The person in question is currently being held in the Police General Headquarters in Floriana and is set to be taken to court today at around 1400hrs.

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Maltese designed Red Bull livery makes it to Miami Race Weekend

May 8 2023

Philip Sultana is a local designer and illustrator whose new livery for Red Bull Racing has just been displayed in Miami ahead of the Grand Prix, having placed as a runner up in a design competition.

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A post shared by Philip Sultana (@philipsultana)

Taking to social media, he revealed that he had answered the call for a design submission from Red Bull Racing F1 for their MIAMI special edition car livery.

‘As a fan of the sport and having driven a single-seater at the team’s F1 racetrack before, I knew I had to make time for this opportunity’ he explained.

He revealed that Red Bull got in touch to inform him that while his design wasn’t the one chosen to feature on the car, it had still caught their attention and it was to be showcased at the race weekend.

For all you car design and F1 geeks out there, Sultana explained his inspiration: ‘I took my cue from the Miami sunset and the aerodynamics and vortices created by the sleek curves of the RB19 car. The blue night sky represents the cool air, while the red hues of the Miami sunset depict the hot air generated by the RB power-unit.’

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A post shared by Philip Sultana (@philipsultana)

‘The two streams collide and create a spiralling effect, mimicking the energy of bulls locking horns in the RedBull logo. The final result is a livery that embodies movement, speed, and energy – the core values of RB F1. I used the brand’s colours to keep the car easily recognisable on the track, while still giving it the feel of a special edition livery that’s not easily missed.’

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174,382 total tourists made their way to Malta this March

May 8 2023

The total of inbound tourists for March 2023 were estimated at 174,382, with the total amount of nights spent amounting to 1,057,589.

Meanwhile, the total expenditure surpassed €126.3 million, and the largest share of guest nights, at 85.4%, spent in rented accommodation establishments.

As per the first quarter of 2023, the total of inbound tourists amounted to 443,062 and total nights spent surpassing 2.9 million nights.

The total tourism expenditure for the January to March 2023 period was estimated at €312.4 million, while expenditure per capita stood at €705.

Residents from the UK, Italy and France made up 46.6% of total inbound tourists, with the largest share being between 25 and 44 years old at 38.3%.

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Full report by NSO here.