A total of 15,500 Fijians left a dent in the country’s workforce when they migrated abroad for better employment opportunities in a space of one year.
This shift recorded between January 2023 and February 2024 placed additional strain on the sustainability of Fiji’s national workforce, intensifying domestic labour shortages and increased reliance on foreign workers across critical sectors.
While launching the National Skills Gap Assessment Survey in Suva yesterday, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka revealed that from August 2023 to January last year, nearly 11 per cent of employers applied for work permits, with approximately 6460 permits issued in critical industries such as construction, manufacturing, tourism, retail, and services.
He also said the survey – that examined employment type, foreign employment, and skills loss – revealed 59.5 per cent of workers were wage earners, 40.5 per cent were salary earners, and foreign employment increased by 79 per cent between 2022 and 2024.
He added key skills gaps were being filled by foreign workers in technical and machine operations, accounting, and culinary roles.
According to the 2025 survey report – facilitated and released by the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation, Fiji Bureau of Statistices, development partners, businesses and the private sector, many business organisations had experienced the loss of critical skills across its operations, attributed to various reasons such as workforce turnover, migration, retirement and limited training opportunities.
The report stated that in total, 95 distinct skills were identified as missing, which business owners and management representatives said had had a direct and adverse impact on productivity, efficiency and overall business competitiveness.
“The absence of these skills not only constrains growth but also increases reliance on external recruitment and training interventions,” the report stated.
From the survey, the top skills most frequently reported as lost are chefs, IT technician, accountants, electricians, machine operators, admin officer, joinery and carpentry, senior and management officials, engineers, and logistics and heavy goods drivers.
Based on the qualitative responses in the survey, businesses highlighted overseas migration as the most significant contributing factor, followed closely by internal migration within Fiji.
“In addition, Government-facilitated employment initiatives such as the National Employment Centre (NEC) and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (P{ALM) scheme were also cited as contributing drivers of skilled worker attrition,” the report stated.
The report also cited remarks from respondents who said while those schemes provided valuable opportunities for individuals, they simultaneously created challenges for local enterprises in retaining experienced staff.
“The combined effect of these factors underscores the growing difficulty businesses face in maintaining a stable and skilled workforce, with implications for productivity, service delivery, and long-term sustainability.”
Mr Rabuka said the Government had strengthened its focus on coordinated labour and skills planning through the establishment of the National Taskforce on Labour and Skills, that brought together public institutions, private sector, training providers, and development partners.
He said the Government remained firmly committed to informed decision-making in education, skills development, and workforce utilisation – decisions he added that were grounded in credible data, robust analysis, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
