Fiji’s inward remittances topped the $1 billion mark last year, the Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh told Parliament, crediting expanded labour mobility arrangements with Australia and New Zealand for bolstering household incomes and community wellbeing across the country.
Singh said the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme and the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme were central to the surge, and that “labour mobility programs continue to make a significant contribution to household wellbeing.” He told MPs that in 2025 alone more than 2,000 Fijians participated in PALM and RSE placements, with funds sent home supporting everyday household expenses as well as education, housing, healthcare and small business investment.
The minister outlined a suite of recent policy changes aimed at ensuring the benefits of overseas work are both broader and more sustainable. The Ministry of Employment has tightened pre-departure preparation, improved in-country support mechanisms and strengthened integration and reintegration pathways so skills acquired abroad can be productively applied when workers return to Fiji, Singh said.
To provide direct assistance to Fijian workers while overseas, the government has appointed four Country Liaison Officers in Australia and one in New Zealand, the minister added. These officers are intended to be a frontline point of contact for welfare and workplace issues, complementing cooperation with partner governments on labour mobility arrangements.
Singh also highlighted a family accompaniment pilot introduced under the PALM Scheme in 2024. About 90 families have taken part so far, he said, describing the initiative as an “important development” that reduces the social strain of long-term separation, supports families’ wellbeing and strengthens the overall benefits for Fijian workers and their households.
The announcement in Parliament provides the latest official confirmation of remittance growth that policymakers have flagged in recent months. Remittances are a key source of foreign exchange and household income for Fiji; the minister’s statement underlines the government’s strategy of combining labour mobility with stronger worker support to maximise development outcomes from overseas employment.
By tying increased payments to concrete support measures — stronger pre-departure training, reintegration pathways, in-country liaison staff and family accompaniment — the Employment Ministry is positioning remittances not only as immediate household relief but as part of a broader effort to translate labour mobility into long-term economic and social gains for communities across Fiji.
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