Fiji Needs Major Reset to Fix Skills Shortage

Permanent Secretary for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations, Maritino Nemani, says Fiji must urgently overhaul its education and training systems if it wants to address the growing skills shortage affecting businesses across the country.

Speaking at the 2025 TOPEX Conference, Nemani said employers continue to struggle to find workers with essential technical skills, and warned that the problem is holding back Fiji’s economic growth.

He said a “major reset” is needed, starting with strengthening the education system so students are taught digital skills, work values, ethics, respect, critical thinking, and STEM subjects from an early age. Nemani also called for multilingual education in English, Fijian, and Hindi, and climate-related learning across all levels.

Nemani said Fiji’s TVET and tertiary institutions must work more closely with industry to train workers in areas where shortages are most severe, including tourism, construction, agriculture, marine resources, renewable energy, and information technology.

He told employers that upskilling their existing workforce must also be a priority, including digital training, leadership development, and improving workplace culture.

Nemani also revealed that the government is considering setting up an independent skills authority, similar to Jobs and Skills Australia, to provide accurate data on workforce needs and skills shortages. He said such a body could be established within 18 to 24 months if pursued properly.

On migration, Nemani said the answer is not to stop training people, but to make staying in Fiji more attractive through better wages, career pathways, and strong workplace environments. He encouraged overseas labour partners to support local training institutions such as TVET centres and Pacific TAFE.

Nemani said real change will take time, with some improvements possible within months, but full transformation of Fiji’s skills ecosystem could take a decade.

“Doing nothing guarantees failure,” he said. “Starting now means results will begin to build immediately.”