A vast majority of Fiji’s workforce is engaged in the informal sector.

Minister for Infrastructure, Jone Usamate says there are usually limited opportunities for unskilled workers in the formal sector and so entrepreneurship development and support to micro, small and medium enterprises has been a priority.

Usamate highlighted this while officiating at the graduation of 54 entrepreneurs in Suva today.

He says the government is developing and implementing policies that will help build stable businesses and it’s important to have critical thinkers who can tap into these opportunities.

“They can also become a part of the formal sector and start contributing to government through taxation and so forth so that means at the end of the day, they help to grow the economy as a whole. We should have good training programs to help people become business people and for those that are already business people to help them become better and to expand.”

The UN joint project titled ‘Informal Economies Recovery Project’ is based on recommendations in the UN Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Fiji in 2020.

UN Resident Coordinators Office representative, Yanki Ukyab says the study at the height of the pandemic showed that informal sector workers were worst affected.

“What it does it is to support informal workers, particularly people who are connected to the tourism industry who lost their jobs fully or partially over the course of last two years and to sort of train them, give them business skills”.

Ukyab says the economy is only as resilient as its workforce.