[Source: Parliament of Fiji/ Facebook]

The Immigration Department has been losing over 20 employees annually.

During a submission before the standing committee, Human Resources Manager Sakario Rabuli noted that these departing employees are highly experienced and are leaving for better opportunities.

He also highlighted that pay is a significant factor contributing to this brain drain within the department.

The HR Manager says that they are prioritizing the current staff, recognizing their capabilities, and retaining them rather than losing them to other opportunities.

“So that is our big challenge right now in terms of the salary that they are currently getting. So the last job evaluation that was carried out, it was in 2017. So it’s already seven years.”

Director of Immigration Amelia Komaisavai says that they are looking for a consultant to assist them with the evaluation of the organization.

“This is actually just to assess positions and the correct remunerations going forward, because right now, as we speak, we still have clerical levels, EO levels who are paid at the very old salary scale, considering the volume of work that they handle and the decision they have to make, national security decisions pertaining to their work.”

She adds that they continue to do promotions internally for new positions.

The Immigration Department is taking into consideration the stress level that they have in terms of the current increase in workload.