According to figures provided by the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, professional workers made up the highest number of skilled migrants at 3,098.
Statistician Vasemaca Lewai said professional workers include nurses, doctors, teachers, dentists, geologist, engineers, meteorologist, mathematicians among others.
In 2007, 4,760 people migrated while there was an increase of 412 with 5,172 people migrating in 2008.
For the first two months of this year 1,032 people left our shores for greener pastures.
Fiji Employers Federation president Dixon Seeto said while employers should in the long run look at ways of retaining employees, workers should be trained and develop their skills so that when someone migrate another person can rise up and take up the post.
“You can’t stop migration,” he said. “Employment is a global market. “We attract a certain group of people to Fiji while we lose a certain group overseas. There are different reasons for migration and there those who migrate for education and health reasons.”
Seeto said Fiji should be concerned about training and developing its people.
“Employers should do all possible for people not to migrate from Fiji,” he said. “That is something we need to work at on a long term basis.”
The bureau has divided the migrants into nine groups.
Workers not classifiable, which include housewives, students, retirees and children make up the second largest group at 2,719.
