13 April 2023

uku’alofa – The Prime Minister, Honourable Hu’akavameiliku, launched ‘Tonga’s Labour Mobility Supply Management Strategy’ at the Ancient Tonga in Fangaloto today, April 13, 2023.

The Strategy is timely, especially at a time when labor mobility in Tonga and the Pacific has raised concerns in the face of continuing migration of labourers overseas.

The Hon Prime Minister believes that Tonga is the first in the region to have a supply management strategy, which is an achievement.

“Labour mobility presents a viable development opportunity for Tonga. It provides employment opportunities for workers, thus reducing local unemployment and underemployment, and remittances received from workers directly contributes to poverty alleviation and improved standards of living,” he said

He said evidence has shown that a sizable volume of remittances and skills acquired from labour mobility can have macroeconomic growth impacts in the country.

For Tonga, the resilience of overseas remittances was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to support domestic demand and contribute to socio-economic development.

Tonga’s Labour Mobility Policy was launched in 2020 and today saw the launching of implementation of one of the five pillars in that Policy – the supply management strategy.

The Hon Prime Minister said it was pleasing to see the alignment these works have on Government’s priority areas.

“Improving education for all, focusing on safer schools, addressing drop-outs, gender equality and increase employable trainings for both local and overseas opportunities is a priority for Government. Additionally, it will advance the government’s second-priority agenda items of reducing relative poverty and raising the standard of social protection,” he said.

“The findings presented to us today, highlights the need for the Strategy. Strategically, that will help to develop a well-managed, coordinated labour mobility supply management programme that provides low-skilled and semi-skilled workers with increased circular [and temporary] migration opportunities for decent work overseas, while enhancing the positive social and economic development of labour mobility in Tonga.”

The Strategy provides the Government of Tonga with a framework to improve the labour mobility institutional framework and labour market intelligence; Develop a more equitable and well-coordinated labour mobility planning, marketing, and selection process, Enhance a programme of training and upskilling that compliments the circular nature of labour mobility and supports long-term economic development; Provide options and conditions for a more attractive domestic labour market, and Promote a clear, well-understood and inclusive labour mobility supply management strategy.

Hon Hu’akavameiliku thanked the governments of Australia and New Zealand for their partnership in the current popular labour mobility programs that provides thousands of Tongans annually the opportunity to work temporarily in both countries.

“As the program expands from low skill to semi-skill, it is timely that Tonga has this Labour Mobility Supply Management Strategy, to guide our continued partnerships to develop needed skills for your markets as well as ours, and to further collaborate on reintegration programs that transforms those skills to meet Tonga’s development goals and objectives. That would be a win-win- achievement for all our countries,”he added as he thanked the two governments.

He also thanked the PACER Plus Implementation Unit for funding this important work for Tonga.

The event was attended by Cabinet Ministers, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Senior Government officials, member from private sectors and guests.