Fiji has recorded a 79 per cent surge in foreign worker employment between 2022 and 2025 as businesses increasingly turn overseas to fill critical labour shortages across key industries, according to the National Skills Gap Assessment Survey.
As per local media, the report found employment of local workers rose by 10 per cent during the same period, but recruitment of foreign workers climbed far more sharply as employers struggled to find suitably qualified staff locally.
Despite the increase, local workers still make up 97.8 per cent of Fiji’s workforce, while foreign workers account for 2.2 per cent.
The survey revealed Fiji’s total workforce expanded by 11 per cent over three years, rising from 91,338 workers in 2022 to 101,729 workers in 2025.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said labour shortages were being intensified by outward migration, with about 15,500 Fijians leaving for overseas employment opportunities between January 2023 and February 2024.
Rabuka said Fiji continued to face persistent workforce shortages driven by strong global competition for labour, increasing domestic demand and labour mobility schemes.
He said employers were increasingly searching for workers with both technical expertise and broader skills such as customer service, digital literacy, problem-solving capabilities and knowledge of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
The report identified overseas migration as the largest factor behind Fiji’s skilled worker shortages, followed by internal migration, participation in labour mobility schemes such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, and workers seeking higher-paying opportunities elsewhere.
Businesses surveyed reported major shortages in chefs, IT technicians, accountants, electricians and machine operators, while demand also remained high for engineers, carpenters, heavy vehicle drivers, administrative officers and senior managers.
According to the survey, about 11 per cent of employers applied for work permits between August 2023 and January 2025, with around 6,460 permits issued in sectors including construction, tourism, manufacturing, retail and services.
Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation chief executive Edward Bernard said employers were struggling to fill 95 different positions identified in the report, with qualifications ranging from secondary school certificates to technical and vocational education.
Bernard said India and Bangladesh had emerged as the largest sources of foreign workers entering Fiji, while workers were also arriving from regional countries including Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
He called for bilateral labour agreements with source countries and faster work permit processing to help businesses maintain operations amid ongoing labour shortages.
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