BVI must move away from importing labour — Premier
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has called for a strategic shift that moves away from relying on imported labour to the detriment of local talent.
The Premier’s appeal came during a discussion on the new immigration bill, which advocates for introducing immigration quotas and is currently being reviewed in the House of Assembly.
Since the 1970s, the BVI has leaned heavily on foreign workers to bolster its developing economy. However, Premier Wheatley now believes it is critical to pivot towards empowering the local youth to assume these roles to ensure economic vitality and social stability.
“We have to make a transition from being so heavily reliant on imported labour to training our young people to take up the jobs in society,” the Premier stated.
The Premier called for a collective effort to phase out imported labour, insisting that it is something that businesses must also be committed to.
Premier Wheatley warned that failing to provide opportunities to locals could escalate crime rates and social unrest, making the BVI a less desirable place to live.
“If we do not give opportunities to those individuals, if we don’t train those young men and those young women to be our auto mechanics, to be our carpenters and our masons and our electricians… and they’re just out there sitting on the corner watching everything happen in front of them, it’s going to cause all of us a problem,” Premier Wheatley argued. “And we’ll just transition to a point where we’re going to have to put bars on our windows like what’s happening in some countries.”
Premier Wheatley explained that the Virgin Islands produces a lot of jobs but said many of the students who go through the education system are not getting those jobs.
While referencing claims about entitlement that some employers use to reject local workers, Premier Wheatley stated: “I believe I should be entitled to something as an ancestral Virgin Islander. So I don’t want anybody telling me I’m not entitled to anything, but that entitlement comes with some responsibilities.”
He said people should work hard for what they want and refrain from using the excuse of being a local not to qualify themselves.
“That is not how it should work. We need to be able to qualify ourselves. We need to be able to have the right attitude. If I say I’m from the Virgin Islands, that means I can go around and I could, on the job, cuss the supervisor out. I could just show up when I want.”
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Stop talking Froth Mr.Premier. What Gad Fly has stung you? Please get real and see what the hell is going on in the Territory.
He speaks like the leader of a country that controls the value chains across the industries in the Territory. In fact we do not and therefore immigration and imported labour must remain a major component of the labour market. Suck it up S!0wW@nde and stop speaking froth
You do not need work permits for entry level and unskilled jobs or workers. Many of these imported labor cannot survive in the territory and are an economic and social burden. Train the delinquent youths to do these jobs and there will be less prisoners and crime in the community! You need to practice what you preach and ensure that legislation and policy are in place to protect the local workforce.
Some immigrants are so desparate for a dollar they do not mind be ill-treated by employers. Cease from hiring your friends and family and allow the workforce to be transparent!
Premier, with all due respect, your last comment, ”If I say I’m from the Virgin Islands, that means I can go around and I could, on the job, cuss the supervisor out. I could just show up when I want.” is EXACTLY the attitude of many young people and EXACTLY why they cannot keep jobs! What employer would want a worker with this kind of attitude! This attitude is EXACTLY why employers are fed up with lazy staff and EXACTLY why many employers are thinking of closing their doors forever!
THANK YOU ! I had to read that quote three times and thinking – are you kidding Premier?!! He must/had to have been mis-quoted! If not…. There is no hope left with this present government.
The young people need to have respect for themselves and their own incentive to learn a trade or another career path. There lies the problem. Most don’t give a damn, which inherently affects those who DO want to better themselves and do want to learn .
Just a sad situation and it will get worse before it ever gets better.
THANK YOU! I was wondering if anyone understood the actual quote. Let’s do hope the statement was misquoted. Also, I agree with your comment and others. While there are, in fact, very good young workers who actively seek a secure and well-rounded future, at least in our business the opposite has been found to be true about 99% of the time. We pay almost double the minimum wage for entry level positions, and actively offer training, advancement, flexible schedules and raises for any takers. We are fortunate if they show up on time, if at all, then have no desire to complete their shift responsibilities. At least we know they will show up for payday! The business has suffered greatly since the end of COVID from an active attempt to keep employment. Time to bring in help from outside the BVI again! This is a necessity, not an option, if the business is to succeed.
There are a lot of people from abroad looking jobs AMD plus those that will be graduating shortly. Are you seeking workers that is willing to take minimum wage?.
We would never pay anyone, even entry-level employees minimum wage. Our entry-level wage is $10 per hour plus tips. And yes! We would love to meet with anyone interested! We do prefer Belongers. All proper IDs are required. Provide a WhatsApp number here.
Sounds Fake!
No fake at all. It’s just the unfortunate absolute truth. Almost every employer on our island is facing the same dilemma.
We should have the ability to train people to high standards & be sought after in certain fields. The population is small focus on quality.
Premier, if you focus on growing the economy by allowing more liberal hiring policies, then there are more jobs for everyone, local and foreigners alike. Protectionism just keeps BVI small, as evidenced by the lack of growth over the last 30 years, meaning that there are fewer jobs for locals because of these protectionist policies.
So sad, as there was so much promise in the BVI and there has been so little progress as a result of views like this
Now that the requirements are set in law for belongership and residency, the counter step is to restrict immigration into the VI. This is the beginning.
That is a bold statement because it is advocating for us to embrace all of the young people of the Virgin Islands. We spend tens of thousands of dollars on an education system and when the students graduate we tell them they are not from here or do not belong. That is nonsense. All of our students are the future labour force of this country.
I love that you are so hopeful… me too but the current situation in the high school is worrying. I am hopeful that with time the children mature and contribute in a positive way. Let’s continue to stay hopeful.
Don’t waste your hope. It’s a bold empty statement.
Something that should have been done many years ago.
Well what do you expect when Education has been neglected for the last 30 years.
Spending money on concerts and foreign travel instead of high quality teachers and Modern schools.
Amen to that!
That Mr Premier is a commendable thought. The only issue is to achieve that we must first get an Imported premier.
Imported Premier you say. No Thanks.
Pick up the young men off the blocks and teach them a skill talk without works is dead .
They are the ones the educated girls go for .
Our society is twisted because morals have gone through the door
There are still a faithful few
This guy is a re**rd
The Country went to the gutter and you are still selling utter
do something about it or perish with the other
Train the delinquent youth? LMAO. Good luck with that!
It’s a great idea to develop our own talent but for that we need education, which has been neglected for decades. Where are the vocational schools and apprenticeships?
You and your government have victimized many of the local talent. The other local talent isn’t staying in BVI because you can’t compensate them adequately to meet the cost of living here. With one mouth you push new immigration policy to make it easier for expat people to get BVI rights. With the next side of your mouth, we don’t need expats here because obviously they only come here to work.
I don’t know if I can agree with you on this one, Premier,-at least, not just yet!
If I am reading correctly, you are in the position, that there should be no new importation of labour!
Do you really believe, that foreign employers, actually want Virgin Islander employees?
Most of those employers hire locally, only, because it’s the law..
Most, do not want our people, especially those with ancestral, Virgin Islander, last names, or those whose ancestors, have exceeded ten, or more million, in wealth assets, to have gainful employment here!
And many of those employers, willfully, offer the least of remunerations, to discourage ancestral Virgin Islanders, from applying fully, and in wholesale, for their jobs!
If Im gonna say one, I have to say two:
Do you really believe, Premier, that Virgin Islanders, are interested in the everyday, menial, types of work, that’s available here?
And,Premier, are your friends, and family, willing to hire locally, and not those, from the Eastern Caribbean,and other far-flung locales, with familial ties, or of a friendship, type of nature?
While I would wish to agree that your statements sound hopeful, they’re not practical, on many fronts!
Importation of labour- in many sectors, are here to stay!
Many of the bloggers seem to think continually importing low income labor will work swimmingly, social ills be damned. I wonder why that is?
Hon. Wheatley as the Premier you should be advocating for proper training and education opportunities so that there is no reason why our people are not ready for positions and for entities to hire from outside. Please stop making this situation seem like it’s such a simple thing. There are many qualified and competent locals but guess what? 95% of them are already employed or running their own businesses that’s a fact. So where does that leave businesses that need qualified persons? Should they close their business because they cannot find a local to fit what they want or need?
The people who not from here feel like bvi should just continue to let in any amount of foreigners to live and work here. Do y’all realize that if this continues not even y’all gonna want to live here no more? Or do y’all plan to just rape our country and go home so it doesn’t matter?
Bingo to your last sentence.
I cannot believe you all. The Bahamas and Cayman makes it difficult to bring in laborer’s if we have them on the ground. why cant we move in this direction as well. Forward thinking. come on.
Well that’s wrong, alot easier to get a permit in Cayman for anyone compared to ridiculous BVI process
why bring up the topic of work permit. If you have people on the ground to do the job, is it necessary to give out a work permit?
it is far simpler to obtain a work permit in Cayman than in BVI. Please know about what you speak. Plus this ease of work permit is one reason for the success of Cayman. 30 years ago BVI and Cayman were similar. Now Cayman has far surpassed BVI in terms of growth both in financial services but also more generally. In part this is a result of their welcoming approach to labour and business generally.
Noone is talking about the work permit process. To be honest, they should start a decrease the amount of work permits being given out. While it might be easier for now in the those countries, in the bahamas, it is a fact that you must prove why a local cannot get a job before a work permit is issued. Once issued, they must prove how long the person will be in the country and a local must be identified to train as a suitable replacement. Thats a fact as I have seen it for myself in the bahamas.
Your government should move away from importing drugs.
I have been watching this situation for a while and it makes me very unhappy. Fresh out of High School, our children are as qualified as the majority of these entry level workers entering this country. They are in the supermarkets, ice cream shop, clothing stores, bakery, everywhere.
I must say it here, all locals who need and want a job are not working. If an employer hires someone and they are not working out, that is whey there is a three-month probation period. When you go and get a one-year work permit for someone you don’t have that luxury.
It is wrong, dead wrong to have our young people in their homes applying for jobs and nothing. Not even a call back or an acknowledgement of their application. And lots of them are capable and full of manners. This is going to come back to bite us. If you cannot eat at home through the sweat of your brows, you will eat some other way. We have a few roads that leads to everywhere here in the BVI and if we are not careful, we soon won’t be able to drive about freely. Put our young people to work. Which of them can go to Jamaica, St. Vincent, Phillipines, Antigua, St. Kitts, Barbados, even UK and find a job over their locals like here? Why the hell are we talking about qualifying ourselves? Lots of us are qualified and not being promoted on the job. Even the young people at the College are in need of a part time job. Everything is expensive. The majority of the imported labour, sorry to say, do not even have a high school diploma and our people can run rings around them. Sorry to say it but this country has the majority of employers who do not care about their own. This has to change.
60% immigrant work force compare that to the US at 13% that is crazy. How many kids graduate from high school every year? How many jobs are on the island? This isn’t rocket science. I feel like people aren’t even trying just giving lip service. My guess is most kids leave for US schools or other islands for better educations? Maybe if the island had a trade school. Schools usually help job output is areas.
Mr premier you need to ask employers why they import labor. Do you think we enjoy the process? Do you think it’s cost effective to spend thousands on work permits for imported labor that may or may not even work out? Do you think we WANT to import labor? The answer is no we don’t. But every time we advertise and recruit we get applicants who are simply not qualified. We get applicants who are already also working for your government and are looking for a side hustle. We get applicants who can’t come to work if it’s raining. We get applicants who are sick 2-3 times per week. We get applicants who can’t put their phones away and do a job. We get applicants who can’t work unsupervised because they simply will stop working. So in the end we spend thousands of dollars on work permits and hundreds more hiring agents to help fast track the process. Event then only 50% of the imports even work out. So yes please fix the education system but please also fix the cultural defects this population seems to suffer so we can enrich the economy and improve the social construct.
BVI must move away from Government lying continuously to it’s people.
bring back cunard cruise line and holland cruise lines and norwegian cruise lines to the british virgin islands to improve the tourism industry and the hotel and guest house and vacation villas and the 5 star restaurant industry. the british virgin islands needs a sandals resort and a marine/aquatic theme park such as sea world in orlando florida
The only reason ppl still coming to the BVI IS THE US MONEY TO SEND BACK HOME.otherwise ppl would not fight up to come because we know y’all don’t really like us..
Attitude of many Vincentians have to change.The laws of the BVI were not made to suit you, However, Many of locals have married persons of St. Vincent and have children, and we must come to agreement that hatred is not the key to going forward.
Its not just the US dollars its opportunities as well. Yes, Living and working here brings more opportunities (BVI & Country of Birth)once you have the right mindset.Ive seen this happen over and over again.
Please you just sprouting foam at the mouth. Or which types of jobs you referring to. Cause the number of people they bringing from the Phillipines to do simple jobs that should remain in the hands of your people baffles me. What you saying that those jobs are to lowly for them and they should be hired to work at jobs that considered top of the tier that most aren’t qualified for. Plus the revenue that is derived from work permits is just too sweet to pass on, we depend on those foreign workers money to keep the social security scheme functional. You just sprouting foam without thinking about the long term effect. You could tell finance is really not your department. And still speaking independence and saying such foolery. Man please hand the country over to someone who can connect all the dots together before the come with speeches that feels like it sounds good. You just pandering to the xenophobic behavior of a few to be liked
Have a Born Here local do this:
– dig a ditch
– clean a public toilet
– mop a floor
– cut and bend rebar
– be a gardener
– wash dishes
– wait tables for $6 hour
– fix a boat engine
– grind fiberglass
Look around. We have raised priveledged youth that don’t want to do any of this. We already have 25% of the naturalized citizens working for the government. Probably 50% is out of the workforce and living on Social Security. So who do this work??
We are a country built on tourism. That takes staff (people to clean toilets!). Stop treating these people so badly. We need them!!
You are just harping election talk! Your ” LOCALS” are lazy, uneducated and no one trusts them to put in a days work!!! There are some good exceptions, but not enough. Train them better, smarter and you will get results.
Stop talk f**t. Persons in your Country are here seeking jobs and many are uneducated. Im sure whilst many are at home not working for some reason or the other.So stop coming on the BVI web site chatting nonsense.
The Premier is a delusional Pan Africanist who would like to take over all assets and hand them out to the indigenous crowd..wow.talk gets around Nat.
The Virgin Islands ( British) has a labour shortage and the majority of its population are skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled expatriate workers.
Several factors drove this imbalance. The VI transitioned from a subsistence agricultural economy to a service-based economy, ie, tourism, financial services, etc economy, creating new jobs and new job skills an opportunities. However, the VI with a small population didn’t have the labor force to meet the increasing labor demands. Consequently, to meet the labor demand, labor needed to be imported. Further, faced with rising skills needs and labor demand, the VI didn’t train and educate effectively to meet its increasing labor demands. As such there is still a need for imported labour. And since immigrant labor is more motivated, and inclined to work for lower wages and compensation, employers tend to favor hiring them over locals.
Moreover, someone erroneously convinced locals that there is a stigma to working outdoors in the sun with one’s hand ( somebody told you wrong), ie, automechanic, carpenter, mason, diesel mechanic, etc. As a result, expat workers are concentrated in the crafts, etc while locals are concentrated in government offices, other admin back office operations , etc.. then complain they not making enough money among other complaints. They dress, come to work indoors in air conditioned spaces.. Furthermore, there has been a behavioral change among the local Virgin Islander on the workforce. As in other communities, when the standard of living and quality of life improves, locals shy away from, refused to perform certain tasks, especially tasks at the lowest rungs of the ladder. Those tasks are performed by no skill, low skill workers , which are often imported. This is where the VI is currently at.
The Premier is advocating for a project to move away from imported labor. However, a project often has a beginning and an end. I’m not sure this project can ever be completed. Reducing labor import is possible but cannot be eliminated altogether.. The economy needs number to grow.. What can government do better managed the local v. expat. balance?
Moreover, the training and education system needs to be completely revamped. Secondly, the VI must trained and educate more effectively to meets its needs, not wants, especially when taxpayers are footing bill. Currently, there is a glut of some skills and shortage in some. There needs to be a balance. Thirdly, the Labor Department must get engaged, ensuring that labor laws are being followed. Elected members cannot just passed laws they must also ensure they are being executed and followed.
There are immigrants from all over the globe sooo why import the destructive ones. Why the ones whose children carry weapons/ guns in their school bags ,killers and prison guests some for a lifetime..
Why install this, the worse in our society?
Change the demographic of the immigrants imported for hire instead of what has been done so far to our detriment.