ACCElErAtE trAInInG to fill JoB vACAnCIEs, provide InCEntIvEs to rEtAIn workErs
Labour mobility is a fact of life. Workers looking for better pay and working conditions here and abroad is not new. It’s been happening all the time.
Only this time it has increased exponentially because of the current global economic situation. There was a time when people can survive and live reasonably with their income. The cost of living was manageable and they were generally happy with the things were.
The thought of changing jobs, even going overseas did not cross their minds.
As long as they had stable employment it was fine. The prospects of going overseas usually conjured up the feeling of loneliness and being away from loved ones. Besides, the people were afraid of the negative things that could happen in a foreign land and they could be traumatic experiences.
That has completely changed now. People are lining up at every opportunity to sign up for overseas work.
They sacrifice and take a huge leap of faith to leave their families behind to earn good money that will lift the standard of living for their folks back at home.
The economic situation has changed dramatically. The cost of living has risen beyond the reach of ordinary workers. It puts a lot of pressure on families. One way of solving it is to seek overseas work that pays much better.
That is why the labour schemes that recruit Fijian workers to work in Australia and New Zealand are popular. These two countries are short of labour and they look to Fiji and other island nations to provide the needed workers.
Fijian employers have to bite the bullet. While they may be lamenting the loss of skilled and experienced workers they can turn it around into a positive response.
First, they must accept that their workers could be attracted by better paying jobs either here or overseas. They need to have a strategic plan to cope when good, reliable workers leave.
In New Zealand and Australia the labour mobility schemes benefit Fijians in several ways, not just in terms of money.
They learn new skills, equipment and knowledge on top of higher incomes. They also learn social skills though interaction with other cultures.
Pacific seasonal workers in New Zealand remit over NZ$41million in remittances a year.
That’s a lot of money and helps to support families and communities back home like paying education cost, financing community projects, building houses and starting businesses.
If we want to retain workers in Fiji we need to pay them a reasonable wage and better working conditions and train enough people to take over when some leave for overseas.