The National Skills Gap Assessment Survey 2026 shows Fiji’s workforce is gradually shifting toward salaried employment, pointing to what the report describes as a move toward more formal and stable job arrangements.
While wage earners continued to make up the largest share of employed persons between 2022 and 2025, their overall proportion declined steadily during the period.
The survey found wage earners accounted for 59.47 per cent of workers in 2022, falling to 58.29 per cent in 2024 and 57.82 per cent in 2025.
At the same time, the percentage of salary earners increased consistently across all three reference periods.
Salary earners made up 40.48 per cent of workers in 2022 before rising to 41.68 per cent in 2024 and 42.15 per cent in 2025.
The report noted that working proprietors and unpaid family workers represented only a very small portion of employment throughout the survey period.
Working proprietors remained unchanged at 0.02 per cent across all three years, while unpaid family workers declined from 0.04 per cent in 2022 to 0.01 per cent in both 2024 and 2025.
According to the survey, the figures suggest employment patterns are slowly evolving.
“Overall, the data indicates a steady transition from wage-based employment toward salaried employment, suggesting a possible shift toward more formal and stable job arrangements over time,” the report stated.
The National Skills Gap Assessment Survey 2025 examines workforce trends, labour market participation and employment patterns across Fiji.
