A Comparative Study of the Salary Structure within the Public Service - Due to financial limitations and insufficient resources to access locally expected social and economic opportunities, certain family needs cannot be met due to lack of the most important factor, adequate income. This instigated a study to identify whether the salary scale of public officers in the Maltese Public Service and who are in the lowest category of the salary classification grid is actually feasible as it is and to find out whether these employees are in reality at risk of living below poverty line.