Govt wants to send more Fijian workers to Australia

The Government plans to send more Fijian workers to Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, with nearly 5,500 already employed there.

Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Agni Deo Singh said the focus was on unskilled workers from rural areas.

“We would like to send more of our unskilled workers from villages and settlements who want to improve their living standards,” Mr Singh said.

“Most of these people are subsistence farmers. They are able-bodied and strong, but not in any form of gainful employment. These are the people we mostly target.”

His comments came after he farewelled 90 workers at Kshatriya Hall in Suva yesterday.

The push to increase overseas employment comes as the Government also looks to recruit skilled workers from India to fill local labour shortages in construction, healthcare and information technology.

Last year, Cabinet endorsed exploring the recruitment of skilled workers from India after many Fijians migrated overseas for better opportunities.

Mr Singh has previously assured that strict guidelines are in place to protect local jobs, including requiring employers to advertise positions locally twice before seeking foreign workers.

He said labour shortages were driven by migration and the closure of technical colleges under the previous government, which created a skills gap.

Mr Singh also welcomed the growing participation of women in the PALM scheme, noting that one-third of the 90 workers farewelled were women.

“It is very pleasing to see more and more women taking interest, and we definitely welcome that,” he said.