Prime Minister Mathew Wale describes the labour mobility programs like Australia’s PALM and New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) as valuable temporary opportunities that must eventually transition into a stronger domestic economy rather than serving as a permanent fix for unemployment in the country.
Speaking on the GREAT Coalition Government’s economic vision, Wale said his government expects to see an increase in the number of Solomon Islanders participating in both schemes.
“Yes, we expect increases in the PALM Scheme, new areas to be explored, and also the RSE scheme in New Zealand,” Wale said.
He added that the new appointment of a liaison officer to oversee labour mobility arrangements could help boost the number of Solomon Islanders accessing employment opportunities abroad.
However, the Prime Minister said that labour mobility programs should be viewed as transitional measures rather than long-term economic strategies.
Wale said decades of economic neglect have left much of the country’s population excluded from meaningful participation in the national economic development, while economic benefits have been concentrated among a small segment of society.
“Because our economy has been neglected for so long, we have allowed this economy to be just what it is,” he said.
He said lack of job creation and business opportunities at home has forced many Solomon Islanders to seek employment overseas.
“That is why we keep sending our people abroad for work,” Wale said.
The Prime Minister said his long-term goal is to build an economy that provides sufficient employment and business opportunities within Solomon Islands, allowing citizens to prosper on their own customary land.
“I look forward to the day we will not be sending people out of the country and everybody will be engaged in their own customary land right here in Solomon Islands,” he said.
Wale said the GREAT Coalition’s development agenda is focused on creating opportunities locally by replicating the economic benefits offered through overseas labour schemes within Solomon Islands itself.
“The vision this GREAT Coalition presented to our partners recently is that we need to create those opportunities, doing the same schemes out there right here in Solomon Islands. That’s the aim,” he said.
Wale made the statement upon his arrival from New Zealand yesterday.
Statistics indicate that over 11,000 citizens have already engaged with the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) program.
Looking ahead, the government plans to aggressively expand these numbers, targeting a milestone of 16,000 participants within the scheme by 2028.
