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The Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation has reported that since 2020, 28,000 Small and Medium Enterprises have reduced unemployment in Fiji by contributing 18 per cent to Fiji’s Gross Domestic Product.

FCEF Research Officer Savenaca Baro says 97 per cent of businesses in Fiji are MSMEs, providing jobs for 36 per cent of the nation’s workforce.

Baro emphasizes the importance of supporting these MSMEs to address the issue of unemployment more effectively.

“We always believe that entrepreneurship is one of the key ways we can address unemployment and we are fortunate in the past we have been working with the government to promote entrepreneurship.”

Baro says FCEF and the government are working to uplift these small businesses through workshops and programs.