Young people's work ethic has employers worried

A declining work ethic that sees young workers taking more sick leave than older employees is partly to blame for labour market mismatches, employers believe.
This is one of several issues raised by Malta Employers' Association director general Joe Farrugia asked about employer complaints that they were not finding enough workers with the right skills.
A culture of entitlement saw an increase in sick leave abuse, which was more visible among the younger employees, he said. "The Monday morning syndrome [following a weekend of partying] has become a common phenomenon."
But he also laid part of the blame on "unethical practices" by medical practitioners when issuing sickness certificates.
He said it was a fact that the economy enjoyed close to full employment and there was a growing labour and skills shortage in many economic sectors.
But the problem went deeper than just a material lack of available workers, he said. "A declining work ethic is one of the problems employers face as the work force is becoming more inflexible, with no loyalty to the workplace."
Mr Farrugia's comments come in the wake of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index released this week that...

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