The Textile, Clothing and Footwear industry continues to face shortage of experienced machinists and technicians.

TCF Council President Mike Towler says with the COVID-19 border restrictions still in place, they cannot get any expert into the country.

“It’s extremely difficult. You can get no expertise in the country. We’ve got to utilize the expertise that we have inside this country and that’s the big struggle.” 

Towler says the TCF export market has been doing well and factories are recruiting more Fijians into the workforce.

“A lot of these jobs are available here in Suva. And the people that have been out of work are coming from the West and to relocate to Suva and train has been a problem.” 

The industry has been booming in the last few months due to increased exports to countries such as Australia and New Zealand.