THE unavailability of tradesmen locally has forced a Nadi-based company to employ and pay its workers overtime to meet clients demand.
Unique Cabinet Makers and Joinery Works PTE Ltd director Roneel Ritesh Prasad said he noticed this shortage mid-last year when job demands increased at his Nadi-based company.
A registered joinery for the past eight years, Mr Prasad has never felt a shortage of tradesmen when the need arose until last year when many locals left for overseas and he is left with only seven tradesmen and three laborers.
“I need more staff because the business is growing,” Mr Prasad said.
“But we are small business and we don’t pay overtime but because we have to make clients happy, we need to pay overtime and this is where I’m losing out.”
