The release of Fiji’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2025-2029 brings forward a sense of optimism, but there’s a huge gap that the plan glosses over: job creation and emigration. Fiji faces a job crisis, especially among the youth, and the NDP doesn’t provide a coherent strategy to tackle this looming catastrophe. With high emigration, youth unemployment, and economic dependence on vulnerable sectors like tourism, the plan, while full of bold rhetoric, leaves fundamental questions about job creation unanswered.
The reality of job creation: A blind spot?
The NDP rightly identifies private sector growth and rural development as key pillars, but where is the pathway to real, sustainable jobs? This plan, like the previous plans, is heavy on promises but light on actionable job strategies. We’ve heard about private sector participation and technology adoption before, but what incentives are there for businesses to invest in local job markets? There are no clear mechanisms to encourage investment that leads to widespread employment. At the same time, poverty which stands at 52.6 per cent and informal employment at 34.7 per cent continues to dominate the rural landscape, and there’s no clear strategy for formalising jobs or ensuring decent wages.
The youth: Left in the dark
Fiji’s youth — our most precious resource — continue to suffer from high unemployment rates, and there is little in the NDP that outlines a roadmap for youth employment. The labour force participation rate for youth remains below 40 per cent, far lower than the developing country average, while unemployment rate for youth is over 15 per cent. The plan promises to boost skills development and promote entrepreneurship, but these promises have been made before. We need to ask ourselves, where is the focus on emerging industries? With global changes such as digital transformation, green energy, and tech-driven economies, why does the NDP fail to articulate a clear strategy to tap into these sectors? While we applaud the vision to diversify the economy, we must confront the fact that sectors like tourism and agriculture, which the NDP continues to prioritise, are insufficient to absorb the rising number of young job seekers. Without direct investment in technology hubs, digital platforms, and green industries, Fiji risks losing out on the industries of the future. Instead, we will remain stuck in an outdated economic model, unable to retain our best talent, leading to further emigration and brain drain.
Emigration: A national crisis
Fiji’s emigration problem is not new, but its scale is unprecedented. In 2023 alone, some 25,627 Fijians left the country, driven by better employment opportunities and future for their family abroad, especially to Australia and New Zealand (The Fiji Times 22 February 2024). This migration rate represents some 3 per cent of the total population, as is the highest recorded since 2005. Many of these migrants are skilled workers, leaving Fiji with a critical shortage of talent in key sectors such as construction, healthcare, education and IT. There were some 15,500 skilled workers leaving the country over 2023-24 period (The Fiji Times 5 May 2024). This brain-drain puts Fiji’s long-term development at risk, as the country struggles to fill positions with adequately skilled workers. There are some 5,000 foreign workers, with majority from Bangladesh, particularly in the construction and agricultural sector (The Fiji Times 30 August 2023). This number is expected to grow as Fiji continues to face labour shortages that it cannot fill domestically. The NDP offers no real answers to this. Why are our best and brightest still leaving? It’s simple: people don’t see their future in their own country, there are no jobs for them at home, and the lack of investment in future-facing industries means they see no future here. The plan doesn’t offer incentives or mechanisms to reverse the brain drain, and without targeted job creation in high-growth sectors, this trend will continue. We need more than rhetoric; we need actionable policies that create meaningful jobs, stabilise the economy, and build trust in the future.
Governance and economic stability: The missing link
No development plan can succeed without strong governance and stable institutions. The NDP speaks about good governance, but can it deliver? The past two years have been seen as a test for respecting Fiji’s constitution and democratic governance and those at the helm of power are threading cautiously and yet at times erratically. Past plans have failed not because of a lack of ambition, but because of poor implementation, weak governance and political instability. Corruption, lack of transparency, and bureaucratic inefficiency remain significant hurdles to economic reform and job creation and the reason for emigration. How can the NDP hope to attract private investment or spur economic diversification without addressing the systemic governance issues that continue to plague Fiji? Bold visions are only realised when leadership aligns ambition with action. The NDP has ambition, but does Fiji’s political leadership have the will to drive the changes needed to unlock private sector growth, improve governance, and build the necessary infrastructure for job creation and stop the brain-drain? Without these changes, the NDP risks becoming another ambitious plan that fails to deliver where it matters most.
The jobs we need, not the jobs we have
The NDP must evolve from broad ambitions into tangible solutions that create real jobs for real people. We need to be bold in rethinking our economy. Fiji can no longer afford to rely on traditional sectors like tourism and agriculture alone. We must invest in emerging industries, promote digital innovation, and create an ecosystem of jobs that can sustain our youth and bring expatriates back home.
Conclusion: What’s at stake?
As we assess the NDP through the lens of our leadership, we must ask the three critical questions:
- What will we see if we are successful? A diversified economy where youth employment thrives in tech, green energy, and digital services — not just tourism and agriculture.
- What will we feel? A sense of confidence that our nation is prepared for the future, with strong institutions driving innovation, investment, and trust in governance.
- Whose lives will be different, and how? The lives of youth, rural communities, and women will be transformed through quality jobs, sustainable livelihoods, and economic independence.
If the NDP is to succeed, bold action is needed now. Job creation must become a central pillar, not an afterthought. Brain-drain must be dealt with. The people of Fiji deserve more than promises — they deserve jobs, stability, and a future they can believe in. Without this, the NDP risks being just another document full of good intentions but lacking in real impact. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric and deliver results.
- Dr. NAREN PRASAD is the Head of Education & Training, International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The views expressed in this article are his and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
