Pacific Countries want increased labour mobility in region

The issue of labour mobility has been identified by Pacific Island Forum Trade Ministers as a priority issue in for the successor trade agreement to the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER), PACER-Plus. In particular the right for people from the Pacific to work in Australia and New Zealand. Solomon Islands’ Trade Envoy and lead spokesperson for Pacific Forum countries, Robert Sisilo said that a well-designed labour mobility scheme for skilled and semi-skilled workers would be a “win-win” for the island nations of the Pacific and the region's economic powers.

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Foreign workers benefit from higher incomes; sending countries benefit from remittances and increased utilisation of labour; and receiving countries benefit from additional labour to meet shortages and potential relief for wage inflation.

Sisilo has described labour mobility as the one issue that could pave the way for a successful conclusion of the proposed trade agreement. Vanuatu Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu also spoke about labour mobility in his speech earlier this month on the 40th anniversary of the Pacific Islands forum.

It is argued that full regional integration will offer greater access to labour markets in our more developed economies and that the free flow of goods and services will ultimately benefit our people.

PACER-plus negotiations have been going on since 2009, the most recent round held last week in in Koror, Palau. The agreement has been held up by issues such as the controversial exclusion of Fiji and accusations from Pacific leaders that Australia and New Zealand have been pushing their own economic interests to the determent of their poorer island neighbors. NGO's PANG (Pacific Network on Globalisation) and Oxfam have both weighed in on the debate.