Fiji’s skills gap is now a threat to national growth

Fiji’s economic future is being held back by a deepening skills crisis that demands a major reset of the country’s entire workforce system, says Permanent Secretary for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Maritino Nemani.

Speaking at the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation’s TOPEX 2025 conference in Denarau, Mr Nemani said the Government is shifting away from “incremental adjustments” and moving toward a fundamental transformation of Fiji’s skills ecosystem.

“Fiji's skills gap is a constraint on our economic growth, our competitive advantage, and our ability to deliver opportunity to an entire generation of Fijians,” he said.

Employers across hospitality, construction and technology are reporting severe shortages, he said.

“Employers consistently report difficulty finding workers with fundamental technical skills. Tourism operators face shortages of qualified hospitality managers. Construction firms struggle to recruit skilled tradespeople. Technology companies cannot find competent developers and data analysts in sufficient numbers.”

Mr Nemani said Government is restoring credibility in the labour sector, with the Employment Relations Advisory Board now operational and Fiji earning international praise for its reform programme.

The ILO Director-General recently commended Fiji for having “under-promised but over-delivered” on labour reforms.

He outlined a sweeping three-stage plan, beginning with education reform, followed by aligning TVET and tertiary education with industry needs, and finally employer-led upskilling and workforce development.

Three-stage transformation: education, training, workforce upskilling

1. Fixing education foundations

Government will overhaul curriculum from the earliest levels by:

• embedding digital literacy from primary school
• strengthening STEM curriculum tied to economic needs
• teaching critical thinking through Fijian business case studies
• ensuring multilingual proficiency (English, Fijian, Hindi)
• integrating environmental and climate adaptation education

He said a major weakness must be corrected: “And importantly we’re not teaching work values, ethics, civility, respect, life and social skills from pre-primary level. Something that has been missing in Fiji’s education system for a very long time. We’re talking about employment issues but we not talking about the root cause like our education system.”

2. Aligning TVET and tertiary skills to industry

Training programs will be redesigned around key sectors including tourism, construction, agriculture, marine resources and renewable energy.
He said industry-recognised IT qualifications, including AI applications, must become standard.

Workplace competencies will be embedded across all tertiary programs, supported by internships, volunteer pathways and employer-driven curriculum updates.

3. Upskilling Fiji’s existing workforce

Employers will be expected to strengthen immediate capacity by:

• expanding upskilling programs
• investing in digital transformation
• creating leadership pathways
• improving retention through workplace culture and compensation

He also revealed that Government is exploring the creation of an independent skills authority modelled on Jobs and Skills Australia.

“Rather than debating whether engineer shortages exist, an independent body would provide data-driven analysis of gaps, their magnitude, and causation.”

On migration, he warned against defeatist rhetoric.

“The solution isn't to stop training. The solution is to make staying attractive through competitive wages, clear career pathways, and workplace culture.”

Mr Nemani ended with a call for collective action.

“Doing nothing guarantees failure. Starting today means results begin accumulating immediately… We must build institutional capacity that will serve Fiji for decades.”