‘Recruitment challenges will continue into 2023’ – MIA Head of HR

Malta International Airport Head of HR Tina Lombardi believes that the recruitment challenges many companies are facing, mainly due to “fierce competition and lack of supply” will not fade away come the new year.

Speaking to MaltaCEOs.mt about finding the right talent within the workforce, which has been identified as one of the main business trends for 2023, Ms Lombardi stated that “this is particularly true when it comes to technical skills,” and even more so when taking into consideration the additional challenges brought about by inflation and a higher for demand in comparison to the available pool of workers.

On a more positive note, the Head of HR confirmed that in their case “recruiting unskilled workers has not been too challenging and [they] do not expect that to change over the coming year.” She also affirmed that Malta International Airport has “so far, managed to attract talent from the local market without having to resort to recruiting from beyond our shores.”

When it comes to finding the right people, 2023 is going to be the year in which companies will need to find a way to make things work. Ms Lombardi believes that although this is “a simple question to a complex situation,” the best place to start is by looking at the form of compensation that employees are being given.

“This includes the basic salary as well as the whole package,” she states adding that “employers need to be aware of market salaries, as falling behind would impact employee retention and make the employee value proposition (EVP) less attractive.”

However, companies also need to consider how else to add value to their proposals when trying to attract the right talent to their doors. “One must accept that some players in the market distort salaries for certain skilled positions and, therefore, competing purely on the base of salary is an expensive game plan with no endgame,” Ms Lombardi affirms.

Added benefits that companies can offer their team members include “opportunities for growth and training” which are also considered by the workforce to be “other important factors that employees value.”

Some additional examples that Ms Lombardi lists in this regard include “providing a path for career development, giving a sense of purpose and offering fresh challenges to employees.” She also insists that companies need to learn to understand the younger generation in order to attract and engage with it more effectively.

“Work-life balance with the possibility of flexi-hours, remote working and extra time off have also been gaining in importance over the years, particularly post-pandemic,” the Head of HR concludes.