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Fiji’s current skill shortage has a potential solution in its own population says World Bank Senior Economist Reshika Singh who emphasized the importance of getting more women into high-skilled, and high-paying jobs.

Singh pointed this out during a media briefing on the latest Pacific Economic Update findings by the World Bank.

She believes that women need to be encouraged to take high-skilled professions.

“We keep hearing this all the time but there are certain pockets within the country that need to be exploited. For instance, female labour force participation in Fiji is the lowest among the Pacific island countries so Fiji needs to do a lot in terms of getting women into those places and high high-quality, high-paying jobs.”

Singh says focus should also be placed on reducing the overall unemployment rate.

“There is a pool of students who are there but they are not being employed. So what needs to be done in terms of getting those students to a level that can pick up those jobs available and then there is this informality is also happening so how to formalize that would also improve the growth prospect but also help us get more formal labour into the economy. “

Singh says this will assist Fiji in unlocking its economic potential and creating a more inclusive and prosperous future.