Tourism facing skills shortage as people are choosing not to work - Lockington

Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association CEO Fantasha Lockington says the tourism industry is facing the challenge of accessing skilled labour because of other industries or people choosing not to work.

While speaking during the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on the Fijian Economy organised by Dialogue Fiji, Lockington says not all workers returned to work post-COVID as some had started jobs in other employment, considering tourism to be less secure while some had started working from home in their own businesses or had gone back to farming or fishing.

She says the Business Process Outsourcing industry also gained a strong foothold post-COVID and they needed staff so tourism continues to lose staff to this industry that is growing from strength to strength.

The CEO says additionally people are choosing not to work at all.

She says with the annual $1 billion Fiji is receiving as remittances, people are choosing to stay home to look after young children or to look after their elderly.

Lockington says young, educated people are choosing not to work because they can.