Effects of COVID-19
IN the words of our own Prime Minister, (reference: FijiVillage), a staggering 115,000 Fijians have either lost their jobs or suffered hours cut as a result of COVID-19.
This scale of wholesale unemployment brought immense untold hardship to the thousands affected ... an unprecedented and cruel blow.
Desperately, the unemployed thousands turned to almost everything possible to put food on their plates.
Nadi employees suffered the greatest. Fiji’s tourism industry was dealt the most cruel blow.
International airlines including our very own national carrier, Fiji Airways’ ground to a complete halt.
Resorts/hotels closed their doors for the better part of two long, painful years.
Most employees were summarily and heartlessly dismissed. Leave without pay would have been the preferred humanitarian option.
But our leaders knew best and chose to inflict the cruel way out. 115,000 left jobless or on reduced hours of work is a painful true-tolife experience.
The backbone to our national economy, tourism, died.
As soon as our caring South Pacific big brothers, Australia and New Zealand opened their doors for seasonal employment, all the desperately unemployed jumped spontaneously and seized the golden opportunity.
This was a massive life-line too good to miss.
Fiji today suffers from a big brain drain.
Our resorts/hotels, bracing for peak tourism season is hardest hit now with skilled workers.
Much in-house training is definitely envisaged.
This takes time. Experience comes steadily with persistence.
This reality needs to be professionally addressed and supported in the long term.
A newer generation of employees needs vital, fast-tracked training never seen before. RONNIE CHANG
Martintar, Nadi