Since 2012, more than 40,000 workers from nine Pacific Island countries and Timor- Leste have benefited from Australia’s workforce development projects in the region. Almost 7,500 workers from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are employed by Australian businesses in low- and semi-skilled roles.
According to the Australian High Commission in Papua New Guinea, the Pacific labor mobility initiatives, the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme, which commenced in 2012, are highly valued by Australia, the Pacific Island States, and Timor- Leste:
“Australia’s Pacific labour mobility initiatives, the Seasonal Worker Programme and Pacific Labour Scheme, are highly valued by both Australia and the Pacific and Timor-Leste,” the High Commission said.
These programs help to address persistent workforce shortages in rural and regional Australia while providing skills and income to Pacific workers who are then able to send home remittances to support their families, communities, and economies.
According to the International Labor Organisation, many countries in Asia and the Pacific are finding it increasingly difficult to respond to the lack of skills held by their workforce. Many countries face a severe shortage of skilled labour due to the out-migration of skilled workers, an ageing workforce, or simply the lack of capacity to provide training.
Educational institutions provide training that is often out of date and does not meet the needs of today’s industries. Additionally, training is not always equally available to all communities. There are many challenges regarding the skills issues in the Asia Pacific region. This includes weak and out-of-date national skills development systems, a lack of connection between employers and training organizations, skills mismatch, inadequate training and job creation for young people, and limited access to skills development and employment of people with disabilities, etc.
“The Pacific Labour Scheme commenced in 2018 and complements the existing Seasonal Worker Programme which, since 2012, has provided more than 40,000 seasonal jobs to workers from the Pacific and Timor-Leste,” said the Australian High Commission. It reported that savings and remittances from Australia’s labour mobility initiatives pay for housing, education, and support communities in Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste.
Workers receive training and experience that is transferrable to the Pacific and Timor-Leste such as customer service and interpersonal communication and English language skills for the employees in the tourist sector. Workers in the agriculture sector learn skills in harvesting and health and safety at work practices. Many workers in the care sector hold a Certificate 3 in Aged Care from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) training college in the Pacific and also undergo further training in Australia. Workers in the meat industry learn the importance of food safety and new skills for meat-processing.
Following the COVID-19 border closures, Australia agreed to restart Pacific Labour Mobility to support critical sectors, including horticulture, on 21 August 2020. The restart commenced with an initial pilot flight into the Northern Territory on 3 September 2020 in support of the mango harvest and so far over 1,100 Pacific and Timorese workers have arrived in Australia.
“We expect up to another 1,300 to arrive by the end of January 2021 under current approved plans,” the High Commission said.
