There are currently some 1,300 young Seychellois men and women attending different forms of training, either locally or overseas, and on whom the government is counting to gradually take up positions being occupied by expatriates.

This was revealed by the Minister for Social Affairs and Employment, Mr Dolor Ernesta, when answering a series of questions put to him by Honourable Francis Cupidon during the National Assembly's Question Time session on Tuesday March 12.

Hon. Cupidon asked the minister to cite the number of foreign workers in Seychelles, the positions they were occupying, how much they were being paid in foreign exchange per month, how many Seychellois were understudying them and how long would it take to localise all these positions.

Minister Ernesta revealed that as at the end of 2002, there were 4,242 foreigners working in Seychelles, of whom 3,601 or 85% were plying their trade in the private sector.

Another 355 or 8% were working in the public sector compared to 285 in parastatals.

The minister said the expatriates were occupying a wide range of positions, be it at management, professional or technical levels. He added that a good number of them were being employed in the construction business, notably as masons and carpenters, whilst similar concentrations were also registered in the tourism sector and production field.

In the government sector, notably in the professional and technical areas, Minister Ernesta noted that most of those positions being occupied by expatriates were being held by teachers.

He said it was important to note that all Seychellois who were being trained either locally or overseas were considered as the "understudy" as they were the ones to gradually take up those positions presently occupied by foreigners.

The number of Seychellois on overseas training this year will be close to 500 whereas other local training institutions ­– such as the National Institute of Education (some 200),  Industrial Training Centre (some 300), Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre (some 200) and Farmers' Training Centre (some 50) – are also doing their share in the training of the country's future workforce.

Minister Ernesta noted that in addition, certain individuals were benefiting from other forms of training, albeit on a smaller scale, such as those on the Unemployment Relief Scheme (URS).

As for how much it was costing Seychelles, Minister Ernesta revealed that the expatriate workforce were being paid over US$7 million per year or over US$ 605,000 per month.

Minister Ernesta said the question of how long it would take to localise the positions being occupied by expatriates should be a point of reflection for every Seychellois as there were a number of realities to be considered.

And taking into account the demographic situation of Seychelles, where the workforce capacity is gradually thinning out, he asked members of the Assembly to ponder on several points such as whether foreign labour was not crucial to help the country sustain its development.

He noted that several countries were today in the same position as Seychelles where they needed the help and expertise of foreign labour to sustain their economy.

Noting that there was a rise in the number of expatriates working in the country last year, Minister Ernesta cited the example of the Indian Ocean Tuna Limited which he said had increased its production in recent years.

Five years ago, according to him, the company was processing 50 tonnes of fish per day but this has increased considerably to become over 350 tonnes to date. Thus, whilst the Seychellois workforce at the company has remained reasonably stable (1,300) over the years, foreign labour has increased from around 500 to 1,100.

LINKS