Labour crisis strikes Pacific countries
Pacific businesses are desperate for staff because thousands of workers are heading to New Zealand and Australia, industry officials say.
The seasonal work schemes in both countries have been singled out as a driving force behind a labour crisis in the Pacific.
With Aotearoa and Australia expanding their programmes, departures reached record levels last year. In 2022, there were 19,000 workers in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme – an increase of 19% from 2021.
Aotearoa’s expanded scheme will recruit an extra 3000 seasonal workers. More than 6000 workers left Samoa last year, data analysed by the Development Policy Centre revealed. The departures doubled the number of labourers who had left Samoa before the pandemic, data showed. The Samoan Government said it had temporarily suspended departures in December after reviewing its participation in the labour schemes.
Vanuatu has begun developing a national employment policy to address a potential drain of its skilled labourers.
There were more than 5000 ni-Vanuatu workers in the RSE scheme, the Vanuatu Government said.
Traditionally aimed at low or unskilled workers, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (Palm) scheme targets employees in the hospitality, aged care and tourism sectors.
The general manager of an exclusive resort on Taumeasina Island near Apia, Tuiataga Nathan Bucknall, said many tourist operators from New Zealand and Australia visited.
But Bucknall said while they were valued customers, they may be there to hire his staff.
During the past 12 months, the resort lost close to 60 workers to the seasonal schemes in New Zealand and Australia.
Bucknall has had to employ untrained staff at short notice.
‘‘We will get them trained, and then some seasonal worker programme will pick them up and we will have to start again,’’ he said.
‘‘We have become like a breeding ground for seasonal workers.’’ To keep his staff, Bucknall is raising salaries.
‘‘But there is no way we can match Australia and New Zealand.’’
Samoa’s acting prime minister, Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, criticised Australia over what he called Canberra’s failure to consult Apia before announcing a new visa category in October.