A fresh Eurostat analysis shows that Maltese can anticipate spending an average of 39 years in the labour force, the 10th longest working life in the European Union.
The metric estimating how many years a 15-year-old is likely to still be active in the workforce during their lifetime is known as the expected average lifetime of working life. By age, it mixes life expectancy statistics with employment and unemployment rates.
The average across the EU as of 2024 is 37.2 years, making Malta almost two years above the standard for the region.
In Malta, there are still significant gender differences. Men are projected to work 42.3 years, while women are expected to work 35.4 years, thereby creating a 7 year gap — one of the greatest in the EU. Men labor more than women in every nation save Estonia and Lithuania across the EU and EFTA region.
Compared with the EU average for 2020, Maltese women have work lifespans comparable to their European counterparts (about 35 years), but Maltese men exceed the average by over three years (42.3 years versus 39.2 years).
With a working life of 46.3 years, Iceland leads the whole EU and EFTA area, while the Netherlands tops the EU with 43.8 years, followed by Sweden at 43.0 years.
Romania (32.7 years), Italy (32.8 years), and Croatia (34.8 years) all have the shortest working lives. Bulgaria and Germany also fall below the 35-year mark, both at 34.8 years.
