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The High Commissioner of Solomon Islands to Australia, H.E Robert Sisilo and team conducted a week-long pastoral visit to Solomon Islands PALM scheme workers in the Northen Territory of Australia from 23 to 27 March. The team included, Second Secretary of the High Commission, Mr Jeromy Bird, Country Liaison Officer…
by Stephen Howes and Huiyuan Liu PALM (Pacific Australia Labour Mobility) growth has stalled. The total number of PALM workers in Australia was 26,185 in April 2022, 34,230 in June 2024 and 32,365 in November 2025. But there is still plenty of churn among the 10 PALM-sending countries (nine Pacific Island…
New data shows Solomon Islanders participating in the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme are sending home record remittances. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Solomon Islands’ PALM workers remitted an estimated SBD 507 million. The data is from a recent report by the Pacific Labour Mobility Support Program (PLMSP)…
Brisbane, AAP – Pacific workers who flock to Australia on temporary visas are too afraid of losing their jobs to fight for better pay and working conditions. More than 31,000 workers from 10 island nations have signed up for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme to work across the…
The Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) 2025 officially opened this morning in Honiara, Solomon Islands, bringing together Pacific labour mobility stakeholders from across the Pacific and beyond under the theme ‘Sustainable Reintegration Begins with Fair and Effective Recruitment’. Organised by the PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU), which also serves…
by Georgina Makaa The 2025 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) opened today in Honiara, Solomon Islands bringing together government officials, employers, recruiters, and regional partners from across the Pacific to shape the future of labour mobility in the region. Speaking at the official opening, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele welcomed…
Perth, Australia (AAP) – Argen Kuni came to Australia with “a heart full of hope”, determined to earn enough money to build a new home for his wife and two sons. The young father arrived from the Solomon Islands under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility, or PALM, scheme in July…
Solomon Islands and Australia are more integrated than ever, through significant growth in labour mobility, business linkages and trade. During his two-day visit to Honiara, Minister for Pacific Islands Affairs, Pat Conroy, celebrated a significant milestone – more than 10,000 Solomon Islanders have now gone to work in Australia under…
Pacific island workers in Australia under a working visa scheme will have to wait nine months longer for changes that would boost their wages. Workers from 10 countries can come to Australia and be employed across a range of sectors including agriculture and meat processing to fill labour gaps under…
Australia is helping create jobs for Solomon Islanders through skills and training, with seventeen young Solomon Islander women recently receiving their Australian accredited Working in Aged Care Preparation Skill Set qualifications. Graduates with this qualification can pursue health sector employment opportunities in Solomon Islands, or in Australia under the Pacific…
