Godwin Xerri, Malta Independent -- According to a study published by Policy Research Corporation in 2008, Malta employs 7,600 people in the traditional maritime sectors, 11,000 people in coastal and sea related recreational and tourism and 1,400 persons in fisheries. These three areas make up for 20,000 jobs out of a working population of 190,000 people which represents 10.5% of Malta's work force.
If Malta has one resource which is infinite for as long as Malta remains an island is the sea and if managed with prudence and wisdom it is bound to continue generating livelihood to a substantial percentage of the Maltese population and even then at an incremental rate. The pity is that although Malta by its very own geographical definition is a maritime nation and different government administrations have included the promotion of Malta as a maritime centre in their policies, it has not always been the case that due attention and focus was given to this sector to ensure that it has all that it requires to be a truly reputable maritime centre. Rather, even still today, maritime careers are not as high in the status ranking as other industries are.