Fiji has lost roughly 100,000 skilled citizens to overseas opportunities, a scale of migration that poses a “serious challenge” to national development, Finance, Commerce and Business Development Minister Esrom Immanuel said yesterday.
Speaking at the BSP Life Fiji Human Resources Institute Annual Convention in Nadi, Mr Immanuel said the exodus is already leaving tangible gaps in government capacity. He revealed his own ministry is operating with a 40 percent capacity shortfall, a deficit he said is hampering the implementation of policies and slowing the pace of change across the public service. “Subsequently, the effect can be seen on the ground. In terms of implementation, in terms of policy changes that need to be done,” he told delegates.
The minister warned the loss of skilled workers reaches beyond headline numbers, arguing it undermines the delivery of programmes and projects the government has prioritised. That warning carries particular weight given recent major budget commitments — including a $540 million allocation to the health sector announced last year — which rely on functioning institutional capacity to be realised.
Mr Immanuel said the usual levers of labour policy have not resolved the problem. Despite reforms such as minimum wage increases and a move to more permanent contracts, workplace dissatisfaction remains “a huge challenge,” he said. “That is telling us something different. That salary is not the defining factor of our workforce. You must go beyond service level solutions and identify the root causes of dissatisfaction.”
Calling human resources management the frontline response to the brain drain, Mr Immanuel urged HR practitioners to tackle a wide set of issues inside organisations. He said HR teams must manage physical, mental, ethical, social and legal dimensions of employment, create accessible and dignified workplaces and ensure respect for human rights. “Human resource is much more difficult to manage than finances,” he said, adding HR professionals and employees alike must understand the operating environment in which businesses and government function.
The minister’s remarks mark a sharpened focus on the labour-market implications of overseas migration, and place HR strategy at the centre of the government’s response. He did not outline specific new retention measures at the convention but emphasised the need to get to root causes of dissatisfaction, suggesting solutions will require cultural and managerial change as much as pay or contract adjustments.
With large numbers of skilled Fijians taking up opportunities abroad, the government faces pressure to align workforce policies with service delivery expectations. Mr Immanuel’s comments signal an acknowledgment at senior levels that addressing the brain drain will demand coordinated action across ministries, the private sector and HR practitioners if critical policies and investments are to be effectively implemented.
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