Manele hails labour mobility as short-term and medium-term solution to unemployment

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has hailed the Australia-Pacific Labour Mobility Program as an important short- and medium-term solution to addressing unemployment in the Solomon Islands.

Manele thanked the Australian government for increasing the number of Solomon Islands citizens through the program, and described it as a mutually beneficial project for both countries.

The Solomon Islands Government aims to attract 16,000 workers by 2028 through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Program and the New Zealand RSE Program.

Currently, there are approximately 6,982 Solomon Islanders workers participating in Australia’s PALM program, working in the horticulture, aged care and meat industries, and to date have remitted approximately S$247 million to the Solomon Islands economy.

“The labour mobility program continues to impact the lives of our people as it continues to provide income for our workers and their families, and revenue for the government,” Manele said after a recent official visit to Australia.

Last week the Prime Minister had the pleasure of visiting the Primo Foods factory in Brisbane, which employs workers from the Solomon Islands through the Pacific Labour Mobility Program.

“This factory exports seven million chicken saveloy sausages to the Solomon Islands every year – so now you know that the chicken saveloy sausages that you buy in our stores are produced by our employees,” Manele said.

The Government, through the Labour Mobility Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, continues to facilitate the recruitment of local workers for the scheme.

Source: Government Communications Department press release