Fiji has lost approximately 100,000 skilled citizens to overseas opportunities, says Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development Esrom Immanuel.
Speaking at the BSP Life Fiji Human Resources Institute Annual Convention in Nadi yesterday, Mr Immanuel described the scale of the migration as a serious challenge for national development, revealing that his own ministry was operating with a 40 per cent capacity gap.
He said the shortage was already being felt “on the ground”, affecting the implementation of key policies and slowing government processes.
“Subsequently, the effect can be seen on the ground. In terms of implementation, in terms of policy changes that need to be done,” he said.
Despite reforms such as minimum wage increases and the provision of permanent contracts, Mr Immanuel said employee dissatisfaction remained a huge challenge.
“That is telling us something different. That salary is not the defining factor of our workforce.
“You must go beyond service level solutions and identify the root causes of dissatisfaction.”
Mr Immanuel said HR practitioners were at the frontline of managing physical, mental, ethical, social, and legal aspects within their organisations
“Human resource is much more difficult to manage than finances.
“Creating an enabling work environment that is desirable and also essential for human rights. At the same time, HR practitioners and workers need to understand the environment we are operating in.”
