Virgin Islanders still a minority in the workforce; A mere 26%
It means that the workforce in the Virgin Islands is made up of 73.1% of persons from other countries, according to the latest statistics from 2023, with information also from the Social Security Board.
The top five countries that make up the 73.1% placing locals into the minority status in the workforce are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Guyana, the Dominican Republic and The Philippines.
Statistics did not capture all countries working in VI
The estimated employees by country show some 21 nationalities working in the Virgin Islands. However, observers noted that there are more than 21 nationalities working in the Territory. Nigeria, for example, has a sizable workforce here, along with other African, Central American and European Countries, as well as the Bahamas, Israel, Venezuela and the Middle East.
When these are factored in with more accurate statistics, the local minority workforce could be reduced further.
It is the government's official policy and stated in the Labour Code that Virgin Islanders or Belongers must be first to be hired; however, the statistics show this has not been practised or enforced.
"As long as locals apply for those jobs and they meet the same or minimum requirements for the job descriptions, local and Belongers will be given first preferences and that’s the responsibility of the Workforce Unit within the [Labour] Department, Acting Labour Commissioner Mervin D. Hastings told our News Centre.
Soon to be outnumbered on the voter's list?
Under the Immigration laws, once expat workers stay in the Territory for over 10 years uninterrupted they can apply for residency. After 20 years they can apply for Belonger status.
If the trend continues in the next 10 to 20 years, expatriates could also make up the majority on the voter's list.
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39 Responses to “Virgin Islanders still a minority in the workforce; A mere 26%”
Work permits are currently being use as a means for expats to secure permanent residence and belonger status in the BVI; this should not be! The proper usage of work permits is to fill voids in the BVI's workforce for a TEMPORARY period. The Labour Department should make it clear to employers that expat employees must be advised that they will only be in the BVI on a temporary basis and that they should be prepared to leave the country once their work permit has expired; there is no guarantee that they will be able to remain in the territory after that period. Employers should advise expat employees that they will have to reapply for a job once their work permit has expired; working in the BVI is not a right, it is privilege conferred to skilled individuals with a time limit. Once a qualified BVIslander/Belonger is able to fill the job, that privilege ceases.
The BVI is too small to be hosting expats on a permanent basis. Once their work permit has expired, they need to leave the territory and re-apply for the job if they desire to do so. These rules are not currently being enforced. Many expats are switching jobs in the BVI without ever leaving; this should not be! A large subset of the expat community possesses an attitude of apathy towards BVIslanders/Belongers and they do not believe BVIslanders/Belongers deserve success or any opportunity to achieve same in their own country. Many expat employers are actively hindering BVIslanders/Belongers from entering the workforce and progressing whilst ensuring that expat employees maintain their jobs and accrue years towards residency and belongership. Many members of the expat community are playing the long game; they are patiently waiting for their Belonger status numbers to overtake those who have ancestral connection to the BVI. Once that occurs, it will be like slavery all over again; August Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be a thing of the past. I could imagine actions similar to Trump's present actions (cancelling DEI, asking government agencies to stop using words such as "black, inequality, etc.") will occur; BVIslanders/Belongers (a group which is mostly black) will be marginalised in the BVI. However, if this should occur in the BVI, it would surely be a tragedy as this is our country. Note that black people in America were never in power. It is high time that the labour system (particularly, the approval of work permits) is addressed so that the BVI can stop further damage and seek to reverse that which has already occurred. The expat employers are busy gatekeeping to exclude BVIslanders/Belongers and the government is not effectively monitoring and properly controlling the issuance and renewal of work permits; this is a recipe for disaster where BVIslanders/Belongers become the biggest losers. Our actions and omissions will affect the generations the come.
Recruiting qualified and experienced people to work in financial services is incredibly difficult, we are competing against other jurisdictions, such as Cayman, that are far more appealing for mobile professionals due mainly to them treating expat workers as valued as opposed to someone that needs kicking down at every available opportunity.
Moving to an even more aggressive system where it's made clear expats aren't welcome and have even less rights and will be kicked off the island at the first opportunity is not the answer, it will make the problem worse.
@The first phase please go off island and experience the real world, talk to financial services companies about the issues they face and you might understand. Until then your short sighted views will just cause more problems than they solve.
It is apparently not difficult to recruit expats in the financial services sector as they are here in droves. Please consider the ratio of locals to expats (especially in senior positions) in financial services companies.
We are in competition with Cayman but we by no means wish to be a carbon copy of them in order to achieve greater competitive advantage. We will not sacrifice the future of BVIslanders/Belongers to appeal to expats and provide them with more rights. Expats cannot have home advantage in their country of origin and also expect to have the same here! Further amending BVI laws and policies to cater to the expat community will result in losses to BVIslanders/Belongers that will far outweigh any gains realised. Expats are not kicked down at every available opportunity; in fact, white-collar expat workers are treated better than BVIslanders/Belongers.
Expats are welcomed to work in the BVI to temporarily fill voids in our workforce; it is not a permanent arrangement and the BVI is not interested in doing same. The expats who seek that type of arrangement can migrate to Cayman if they please. They are many city professionals who would like to take a break, work in the BVI and then return home. It appears that some of the expat workers that came to the BVI do not want to do the same; this is where the conflict arises.
@@The first phase your arguments are not convincing and they do not come from a place that seeks to act in the best interest of BVIslanders/Belongers. Nowhere in your response did you address how BVIslanders/Belongers can advance working alongside imported labour.
What a joke. You can kiss goodbye to the huge amount of income from financial services then, as expats work in the vast majority of law firms, accountants and lots of trust companies.
Skilled expat workers will be contracted for 2 - 5 years and after that they will have to leave. We will continue to host expats but not with the view to make them permanent residents; they have a home - the BVI is our home. BVIslanders/Belongers come first.
Also, BVIslanders/Belongers will continue to be trained to fill many of the positions that you have referred to.
The BVI only currency I know that have been used for the last 40 years (I could account from) was USD
We are the only Caribbean country to use it (Virgin island) … it’s higher that the other countries in exchange to theirs, so yeahhhhhhhhh them coming here to work to make life better home yeah ….
The BVI is shambles right not that’s all them trying to do and then the bvi landers out here having such a hard time getting the job (some) most just out right privileged and lazy ….. (I said what I said with respect)
Das just how the cookie (our tax money) the politicians eating going grumble
It will be a long time before the voters list is impacted.
What is the percentage rate of EMIGRATION of Virgin Islanders OUT of the territory?
How many return at retirement age, in ailing health?
What is the birth rate like among Virgin Islanders in the territory?
What percentage of Virgin Islanders in the territory are in the following age brackets: 0-15, 16-65, 65 and above?
What percentage of Virgin Islanders who complete secondary education go on to tertiary education and then ARE ABLE TO USE THEIR QUALIFICATIONS LOCALLY?
The reason for these questions is this: if a tiny British Overseas Territory makes it a HABIT to emigrate elsewhere (returning for Festival, family reunions and funerals), have their children BORN and GROW UP elsewhere, contributing taxes ELSEWHERE, then HOW is the expectation that there could ever be a Virgin Islander majority in the Virgin Islands?
If the birth rate doesn't support it, eventually you'll reach a point where the population declines unless immigrants come in and make up the slack.
If the death rate is higher than the birth rate, you have the same problem (coupled with issues with Social Security and pensions)
If educated Virgin Islanders are not able to make a living in a high cost of living territory with their duly earned qualifications, are they expected to shrivel up and die? Just cease to exist? Accept unemployment and underemployment and cast their qualifications to the side? Are they expected to forego having families at all? Or is it more likely that they will emigrate for a better life as has been the case since even before the days of the Fancy Me?
A more comprehensive picture needs to be presented, please and thanks. Lay the stats out for everyone to peruse so that we can have a more informed and holistic picture of what EXACTLY is happening in our territory.
The rate of exchange sees lots of them underbidding locals because when they send the money back home they need a 3 yard truck
Poor legal systems we need trump to stopby this place and clean it up: nothing personal
Yes expats are here and taking up jobs bvislanders REFUSES to take. Even local business owners REFUSES to hire Bvislanders WHY?
CUZ when expats sits and take the insults, minimum wages and crazy hours no bvislanders will stick up for it.
All they want is FAST MONEY BIG LIFE. not all the same but MAJORITY. Some claim that expats run from job to job WHY? Maybe because the little income can't put food on the table with cost of living so high. Barely can pay rent.
But if not for expats Landlord/landlady would never get the chance to raise rent and becoming rich off the same expats who paying their mortgage and can't even save to build something in their own country. Wake up people and see things for what they truly are and stop fighting down one another.. One people one nation.
Given that the portion of BVIslanders in the BVI is less than 40% of the total, and that portion of the population is top-heavy on youth, 26% isn't all that bad.