Fiji

Fiji has a vast range of industries and workers with diverse experience, as well as a good track record of participation in labour mobility schemes in Australia and New Zealand.

Fiji currently has workers placed in the Australian agriculture, hospitality and tourism and meat processing sectors.  

In Fiji, primary, secondary and tertiary education is all in English, so workers have excellent English communication skills. Fiji has a strong education system with high-quality graduates.

Strong work ethic

Fijians generally have a strong work ethic, are motivated and are physically fit. They have a reputation for being friendly, personable and polite.

Fijian culture attaches great importance to family and community – giving workers the ability to cooperate and collaborate as a team. 

Hospitality and tourism specialists

• Fiji has a world-class international tourism industry that employs approximately 45,000 people. As a result, many Fijians are experienced in hospitality and accommodation services – skills that are directly transferable to the Australian tourism market.  
• Fijian staff have been servicing the Australian and international tourist market for a long time. As a close neighbour, most Fijians understand Australian culture. 
• Fijians are experienced in providing accommodation, transportation, guest services, food and beverage, and sport and recreation services for the tourism industry.  
• Fiji has skilled staff who are ready to work as cleaners, room attendants, laundry workers, kitchen stewards, front of house, commis chefs, food and beverage attendants, drivers and garden maintenance workers.  

For Fijians, the opportunity to work in Australia is life-changing. Most Fijians take the opportunity to represent their country abroad seriously, and therefore act with integrity.

To recruit workers under the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) or the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS), an Australian employer must be registered as an approved employer, or they must recruit workers through a labour-hire firm that is an approved employer.

To find out more about becoming an approved employer, visit the SWP employer information page on the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business website or the PLS employer information page.

Once approved, employers can recruit workers through Fiji’s National Employment Centre’s (NEC) work-ready pool or through direct recruitment.

For more information, contact the NEC by phone (+679 3310331) or by email (sakeo.talemaimaleya@govnet.gov.fj or prasheet.singh@govnet.gov.au).

The Australian Government has two visa schemes available for Fijians to work in Australia.

The Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) provides access to unskilled work opportunities for up to 9 months in the Australian agricultural and accommodation sectors (in selected locations).

The Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) enables citizens of Fiji to take up low-skilled and semi-skilled work in rural and regional Australia for one to 3 years. 

For information about the SWP or the PLS please email the National Employment Centre at (fores@govnet.gov.fj), or call one of the following numbers: (+679 3303500), (+679 9906421), (+670 9906421), (+679 8925098) or (+679 8925089). They will be able to give you more information.

To register for the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), a Fijian applicant must: 

• be 21 years or older
• be unemployed and registered with the National Employment Centre (NEC)
• hold a valid passport for the duration of the contract
• be physically fit and healthy for the work specified (some employers require workers to pass a fitness test)
• have no police criminal record 
• be of good character, no drinking or behavioural concerns 
• demonstrate a positive attitude to work and a willingness to learn. 

 To register for the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS), a Fijian applicant must: 

• be between 21–45 years old
• hold a valid passport for the duration of the contract
• be physically fit and healthy for the work specified 
• have no police criminal record (workers who have lived in a foreign country for 12 months or more after the age of 16, or worked on a foreign ship for 12 months or more, require a police check from that country)
• be of good character 
• have qualifications and/or work experience required by employers 
• have a reasonable standard of English unless Australian licensing mandates a higher standard 
• demonstrate a positive attitude to work and a willingness to learn and commit to the employer’s values. 

It is free to join the SWP and the PLS. These programs are only managed by the NEC.

Complete a registration form at a National Employer Centre office or at a registration event.

Candidates need to bring their CV, passport, birth certificate, referees and any relevant work/qualification/licence documentation.

Former seafarers should bring their official logbook detailing any service at sea over the past 10 years.