A-G to businesses: Include incentives in advertising

The business community has been challenged to include in their job advertisements a line indicating that the particular position falls under Government’s employment incentive scheme. The challenge was put forward by the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, during the Fiji Business Forum at the Holiday Inn Suva yesterday. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Government had provided numerous incentives and provisions for businesses to benefit from which they indeed had achieved. But, he stressed, now what was needed was for the businesses to start supporting the Budget. “I think there is one simple way businesses can do this. This can be done if your businesses can put out advertisements in the newspaper and say as announced by Government (naming the particular incentives), your company/organisation is offering positions for people to benefit from,” he said. “You don’t have to say you will take 100 people on or two people on. But if you make that announcement that your company wants to benefit from this, you are actually sending a very strong and positive message.

“This is not just in terms of supporting the budget per se – but saying to people that these incentives are there and being utilised.” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum stressed as part of the nation building process, we need people to get rid of stereotypes and have everyone working together in the marketplace.

“It will take only one advertisement in the newspaper for you to do it. And then can we have a followup and see how many companies do it,” he said.