Fiji faces a narrowing window to turn its youth boom into jobs rather than frustration, World Bank economists and local employers warned this week as new national survey data laid bare a widening skills mismatch.
At a regional briefing in mid-May, World Bank economist Ruth Nikijuluw told Pacific policymakers the region’s youth bulge is a “rare demographic advantage” but one that must be matched by a sweeping “jobs agenda” if those young people are to be absorbed into productive work. “At least 19 per cent of Fijian youth are not in education, employment or training,” Nikijuluw said, noting that the youth cohort will account for roughly a third of the working-age population by 2035. “The wave is coming,” she added.
The warning came alongside the release of Fiji’s first National Skills Gap Assessment (NSGA), a labour-demand survey led by the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation in partnership with the Fiji Human Resource Institute and the Higher Education Commission, and undertaken by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics between November 2025 and February 2026. The survey canvassed 410 companies, achieved a 91 per cent response rate and covered employers responsible for some 33.4 per cent of the formal sector workforce.
The NSGA found employers struggling to fill 95 distinct job roles across a broad range of industries and skill levels — from school-leaver and TVET positions through to professional and academic roles. The FCEF used the results to argue that “our local labour market is not working for local employers,” reflecting long-standing complaints from the private sector.
World Bank and local economists framed the skills-gap data within structural constraints specific to the Pacific: remoteness, small size and dispersed geography, with climate risk layered on top. Ralph van Doorn, Lead Economist for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, urged policymakers to prioritise “capacity over volume” by focusing on resilient infrastructure, education and digital foundations, stronger private-sector lending and better use of available capital. He also pointed to migration as an underused route for skills transfer, noting workers who return from seasonal jobs often bring new skills home.
Gender was another persistent theme. Nikijuluw said female labour force participation across Pacific countries averages about 20 percentage points lower than men’s, compounding the challenge of absorbing young people into the labour market. Yet the supply side shows progress: the Fiji National University celebrated 1,906 graduates at its May ceremony, of whom 991 were women. The graduation also highlighted vocational pathways — 77 students completed apprenticeship programmes under the NTPC — a direct example of training that employers say they need.
Local officials and community leaders are already taking actions that speak to both access and retention of talent. In Matuku, in the Lau group, the long-awaited Matuku Secondary School was officially commissioned this month. For decades children from Matuku had to relocate to Viti Levu after Year 8, forcing families to send teenagers away from the vanua. Eighty-year-old Varanisese Gade told FBC News that the absence of a local secondary school had caused heartache and frequent relocations. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro said the new school “removes the need for children to relocate” and addresses a long-standing demand from the community.
Those local steps are important because the NSGA and World Bank papers point to a dual challenge: boosting the number of jobs available while raising the match between the skills employers need and the qualifications graduates hold. The NSGA’s breadth — identifying hard-to-fill roles that require qualifications ranging from high-school to university — underscores how multifaceted the response must be.
For policymakers grappling with limited fiscal space, the World Bank urged practical foundations first: reliable electricity, clean water, transport and digital connectivity that link communities to markets and training opportunities. Van Doorn said resilient infrastructure, improved education and digital services are essential to give workers a chance at productive employment. The bank also recommended better access to finance for private firms so businesses can expand and hire.
Private sector voices are clear about the stakes. Employers telling the NSGA they cannot fill essential roles points to lost opportunities for companies and for young workers who cannot find paths into the formal economy. The NSGA’s results give the government and development partners a much-needed evidence base to design targeted training, apprenticeships and placement programs.
There are already tangible links between training outcomes and labour supply: the FNU graduation included students from the College of Engineering, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, the National Training and Productivity Centre and the Pacific Centre for Maritime Studies — sectors the NSGA flagged as critical. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka, the chief guest at the ceremony, commended FNU’s role in national development, a public endorsement of the link between higher education and employment.
The jobs discussion is not limited to education and infrastructure. The government’s shipping schedules and transport links continue to matter for the archipelago’s labour mobility. The Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport released the Government Shipping Franchise scheme for May, a timetable that ensures continued sea services to Kadavu, Rotuma and the Lau and Lomaiviti groups — lifelines for island communities whose economic participation depends on reliable transport.
Economic signals from trade also show promise. Fiji remained Australia’s largest Pacific supplier of kava by volume in the first quarter of 2026, exporting 22,577 kilograms and maintaining the largest supplier network with 217 registered businesses. Pacific Trade Invest Australia reported overall kava imports into Australia increased 24 per cent year-on-year for Q1, indicating sustained demand for Pacific agricultural and processed products — sectors that could absorb trained youth if value chains and skills are aligned.
World Bank economists insist that policy must start now if the demographic dividend is to be captured rather than squandered. The NSGA gives Fiji its first comprehensive view of employer demand; the upshot, from international advisers to local business groups, is a call for coordinated action across education, infrastructure, finance and migration policy. For communities such as Matuku that have just gained a new secondary school, the question will be whether training, transport and job opportunities follow close enough behind to keep young Fijians at home and employed.