Last week in Tamakautoga, Niue, the governments of Niue and the Solomon Islands signed the Inter-Agency Understanding (IAU) governing the Niue-Solomon Islands Labour Mobility Pilot. This initiative marks the first managed intra-Pacific labour mobility programme under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Labour Mobility Secretariat.
The pilot program will bring four Solomon Island nurses to Niue for six months starting in August 2024, addressing acute labour shortages in Niue’s health sector. This new approach aims to provide mutual benefits, as highlighted by Solomon Islands’ Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Colin Beck: “The Niue-Solomon Islands Labour Mobility Pilot puts a human face to the two nation’s relations and presents a new beginning in strengthening of people-centered relations that can grow and diversify to other sectors.”
Niue’s Minister for Infrastructure and Finance, Crossley Tatui said: “Labour shortage is a very real problem for Niue and labour mobility provides the only viable solution to addressing this development constraint.”
