Expats hired to plug Fiji brain drain

NEARLY 4500 people emigrated

from Fiji in the year to July 1989, and both the public service and other agencies are concerned about the way in which the “brain drain” is affecting the country. The Public Service Commission has stepped up training and increased recruitment of expatriates to meet its short-term needs.

The Fiji Development Bank (FDB) is

one agency facing a serious shortage of skilled and experienced people. The bank’s managing director, Laisenia Qarase, was quoted by The Fiji Times as saying the FDB had lost more than 60 per cent of its staff since 1987, most through emigration. The bank was look ing to recruit people from overseas, and had recently appointed two Sri Lankans to the computer and accounting sections.

Qarase said if the emigration trend con tinues the bank would be facing a critical situation.

Public Service Commission (PSC) secretary Poseci Bune said the staff shor tages had now reached the urgent stage.

He told a manpower planning workshop in Suva that the manpower losses were probably greater than shown by the 4500

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