21,500 school leavers unemployed

In 2007, more than 21,500 school leavers in the country were unemployed according to the Bureau of Statistics and this number could be substantially high right now.

This was revealed by former Fiji Investment Corporation chief executive Atma Maharaj at the Fiji Institute of Accountants Congress over the weekend.

Maharaj said there is a general lack of social, economic and national cohesiveness within Fiji and amongst its people and added that currently as a nation, only a fraction of people are utilized.

He added with the number of companies currently looking at starting operations in Fiji this year, and with the right developments, we can transform Fiji into becoming a challenger and even being a Business Process Outsource destination which will create employment.

Maharaj pointed out that Fiji entered the international BPO market in 1999 , but lost the first entrant due to the 2000 coup and since 2002 we have since a steady stream of new companies like QUEST, Affiliated Computer Services, Micronet - software development from Australia amongst a few others, which according to Maharaj can achieve the aim of creating 50,000 jobs in the ICT Industry in 15 years.

Fijivillage has confimed that Atma Maharaj is no longer the CEO of Fiji Investment Corporation.

Atma Maharaj, was invited to speak at the Accountants Congress, in his own professional capacity as an Industry Leader, over the past 25 years”.