Fiji wants to hire more Bangladeshi workers

Fiji wants to hire more Bangladesh workers, mostly in the construction sector, as the pacific island country is suffering from a shortage of labour to cope with the post-Covid development activities. 

"Our construction companies have been making applications to bring in workers from Bangladesh as there is a major shortage of skilled manpower in this sector," said Fiji's Attorney General and Minister for Economy AiyazSayed-Khaiyum during the recent joint forum of Australia-Fiji Business Councils.

The attorney general said there is a huge shortage of workers in fields such as brick and tile layers, reported Fijivillage on 5 September.

According to an unofficial estimate, around 3,500 Bangladeshis live in different cities and the countryside of Fiji. A majority of them work in garment factories, restaurants, hospitals, the construction sector, agriculture and other service sectors.

"We expect to employ 1,000 people in Fiji each year with salaries ranging from Tk40,000 to Tk45,000," said MdSalahuddin, counsellor (labour) and the first secretary of the Bangladesh embassy in Australia.

The population of Fiji is 0.9 million, with a $5,589 per capita GDP, according to World Bank data in 2017.

Tourism is Fiji's main revenue source, contributing about 38% of the country's GDP, according to the International Finance Corporation.

However, the textiles and apparel industry has been identified as a potential sector for Bangladeshi businesses to invest in Fiji, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Australia. 

Other potential sectors include pharmaceutical, information and communication technology.