Fiji saw more than 40,000 people leave the country between 2022 and 2023 in search of better opportunities overseas, Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu told Parliament—amounting to a net migration equivalent to approximately 5 percent of the population. Prior to 2018, around 9,000 Fijians were emigrating each year, but by 2019 that number jumped to over 25,000 leaving temporarily or permanently, Seruiratu noted.
He warned that this surge is putting significant pressure on Fiji’s workforce. The departure of so many working-age individuals is creating labour shortages across key sectors, including education, healthcare, tourism, and primary industries. Seruiratu highlighted Vanua Levu as a case in point, where a recent report exposed alarming teacher shortages due to migration. These trends raise concerns over Fiji’s ability to maintain economic momentum and safeguard service delivery in critical areas.
This mass migration aligns with a well-known regional phenomenon known as “brain drain”, where skilled professionals seek better salaries, stability, or education abroad. For Fiji, remittances from migrants—especially from markets like Australia and New Zealand—can partially offset the economic strain, with World Bank data showing remittance inflows often matching or surpassing foreign direct investment. However, the loss of trained nationals, particularly in teaching and health roles, can take years to reverse through domestic training programmes.
Opposition Leader Seruiratu urged the government to act swiftly with targeted educational investments and policy reforms. He called for enhanced teacher training, tuition subsidies, and rural incentives designed to attract and retain graduates in critical areas. He also advocated for bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries offering temporary work permits—similar to those in Australia and New Zealand—to provide regulated overseas employment opportunities without permanently draining national human resources.
Global best practices offer models to address Fiji’s dilemma. Countries like Malaysia and the Philippines use “circular migration” schemes to allow temporary work abroad followed by guaranteed re-employment at home, thereby retaining essential labour. Some Pacific nations have also created financial literacy programmes enabling migrants to invest savings and skills back into their communities upon return.
However, effectively managing migration trends requires more than temporary fixes. Broader reforms are needed to boost local labor markets, such as upgrading vocational training systems, ensuring decent rural pay, expanding access to tertiary education, and improving public sector working conditions. Enhancing childcare, healthcare, and infrastructure in rural areas can also reduce migration motivation while preventing regional inequality.
The surge in migration reflects an underlying global competition for talent, where even well-resourced countries struggle to retain skilled workers. Fiji now stands at a crossroads: will it continue to see its young professionals seek greener pastures, or will it create opportunities that make staying—or eventually returning—a viable and attractive choice?
As Parliament debates strategies to rebalance migration and bolster the workforce, the government faces complex questions. Should it ramp up domestic training, broker employment opportunities abroad, or incentivize return migration? The answers will shape Fiji’s future economic resilience and its capacity to withstand regional and global shifts—and determine whether the 5-percent exodus becomes a one-off wave or an ongoing challenge.
