Biman Prasad: Government can’t match overseas salaries

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Biman Prasad has admitted the Government cannot match salaries offered overseas as around 114,000 Fijians left the country between January 2018 and August 2025 seeking better opportunities.

"We have to be honest and say that we are not going to be able to match the nominal salaries that our people may get for the same kind of job," Mr Prasad said in Parliament this morning.

The exodus represents about 12 per cent of the population, with people leaving for employment, immigration, education and other opportunities.

Mr Prasad said the outflow had significantly increased, particularly after Australia and New Zealand reopened their markets in 2022 following COVID-19 restrictions.

He added that 29,719 people left in 2023, while 22,433 departed in 2024, with numbers dropping to 15,584 as of September this year.

Mr Prasad said while Fiji's per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is measured at $6000, when adjusted for purchasing power parity and price differences, it rises to nearly $16,000.

"But there is a limit to how far we can go in terms of raising the salaries," Mr Prasad said.

He added the Government had already increased civil service salaries by seven to 20 per cent in the last two budgets.

Mr Prasad said skilled labour shortages in healthcare and engineering had been worsened by decades of policy neglect, pointing to the previous government's closure of technical colleges which cost $40 million.

He outlined Government initiatives including writing off $650 million in Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) debt, reopening 29 vocational schools, and funding scholarships for 24,653 students.

Opposition MP Hem Chand raised concerns about staff retention, noting the last civil service job evaluation was conducted eight years ago in 2017.

Mr Prasad acknowledged the Government would continue reviewing salary structures across different skill areas to improve retention.