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Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has expressed caution about new labour mobility opportunities for Samoans in Japan as discussions progress to open the door to Pacific Island workers.
In accepting samoa observerMs Fiame stressed the importance of generating income through labour mobility but expressed concern about its impact on Samoa’s human resources. “We have a general problem with labour mobility (at the moment),” she said, stressing that the extension of seasonal work agreements with Australia and New Zealand often lacked adequate consultation.
Fiame’s comments came in response to questions about Japan potentially opening up labour flows across the Pacific. Last month, Tonga’s ambassador to Japan, Dr Suka Mangisi, noted that Japan’s ageing population had led to a demand for foreign workers.
“The problem is that the labour mobility agreement between New Zealand and Australia was supposed to be seasonal. But as we’ve seen, they extended it without proper consultation,” Fiame explained. “Of course, we support any opportunity that allows our people to earn money, but part of it is the loss of human resources.”
Fiame leans toward the American Samoa labor program, noting its geographic proximity and the economic benefits of a strong U.S. dollar. “This opportunity is more important to us. Not only is it geographically closer, facilitating the movement of our people, but it also benefits from the strong value of the U.S. dollar,” she said. “In addition, we are actively in discussions with the American Samoa government on the implementation of this program and have reached a mutual understanding.”
In contrast to Fiame’s cautious stance, Tongan Ambassador Suka stressed that Japan is gradually opening up to foreign labor due to its aging population. Suka pointed out that “there are sectors in the Japanese economy that require foreign labor” and stressed the potential for Pacific Islanders to make positive contributions to Japan’s workforce.
Suga also discussed the wider Pacific-Japan relationship and the need to increase trade and investment flows from Japan to the Pacific region. He stressed the role of diplomatic engagement and the good reputation of Pacific Islanders in Japan, especially in sports such as rugby.
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