I scan regional and foreign news on a daily basis to see whether job opportunities are being made available to Solomon Islanders as seasonal workers, or work being offered as part of Australia’s Labour Employment Programme in trades such as in the meat industry
In the last few days, I wrote and said several hundred or so Samoan workers had been contracted as meat workers and had already left for Australia. I also mentioned 200 Solomon Islanders had flown to start work on Australian farms, presumable under the seasonal workers arrangements.
Today, Radio New Zealand gave the news that Samoa will be sending another 189 workers to Australia in May as part of Australia’s seasonal workers scheme.
Quoting Radio New Zealand’s radio bulletin, it also said.
TV1 Samoa reports the group will join the more than 300 workers already in Australia working in the meat industry.
Assistant chief executive of the Ministry of Commerce and Labour, Lemalu Nele, says the office is not taking new applicants for seasonal work saying they are only taking applicants from 2018.
The Australian scheme gives work to Samoans on nine-month stints and are contracted to return for up to three years.
Lemalu says more than 700 workers are already employed in New Zealand since they resumed sending workers at the beginning of the year.
End of quote.
Comment
I hope to learn of similar employment chances being on offer to Solomon Islanders very soon.
With local unemployment remaining high in the Solomon Islands ( and Covid free) it would greatly assist many workers to gain overseas employment as seasonal workers in Australia or in New Zealand where their gainful employment would enable them to remit some of their foreign earnings back home to dependent family members.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
