Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# job in Fiji Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji
nanouw 17:23 UTC 01 Aug 2007 | Hi, Does everyone know if it's easy to find a job in Fiji ? Our aim is to work there for 2 or 3 months. Thanks for answers. Tom & Anne |
imacd 17:38 UTC 01 Aug 2007 | Somebody asked a similar question a couple of weeks ago and got shot down in flames. Fiji has a very high unemployment rate, and people in tourism have been losing their jobs, while public servants have had a pay cut, and are taking industrial action at the moment. I would say that it is virtually impossible for a foreigner to find a job in Fiji. Make your money in a First World country, where there is plenty of work, like Oz, UK etc. and spend it in Fiji where , if you are careful, you can live quite cheaply in Fiji. Check out the Fiji Times website for more information on the country. | 1
nanouw 17:51 UTC 01 Aug 2007 | Thanks for your reply IMACD. Well, our intention is not taking the job of the local people, but only to be able to live for some months in a paradise. | 2
wksamoa 20:21 UTC 01 Aug 2007 | Of course it is not your intention to take a job away from a local - but it would be a fact, intended or not. Besides that - the average wage in Fiji is around FJ$20, which converts to US$12 oder SwissFrancs SFR15. Not bad? Maybe, but it is per DAY, not per hour ... Regarding that alone, IMACD is right: work and earn money at home - the daily Fijian income in one hour - save it and then go to Fiji to spend it. Better for you, better for Fiji. | 3
wksamoa 05:36 UTC 02 Aug 2007 | I don't know how to edit an own posting ... (Is there a way?) What I mean is: Easier for you, easier for Fiji. | 4
raro 07:38 UTC 02 Aug 2007 | Very tough these days, esp. after the coup. Lots of Fijians are trying to get work in the Cooks and other places, that's how bad the domestic work situation is. This has always been the case, but more so since the coup. You can make more in a day at home, probably, than you'll make in a week in Fiji. On rare occasions you might get a bed-for-work job at a budget place---clean the floors, BA, etc for two or three hours and you get a bed in the dorm. But it is hard to plan on this. | 5
mandja 16:02 UTC 03 Aug 2007 | Your best bet (though a remote chance ) is to be sent there from your home country as an expatriate - maybe as some kind of adviser? At least THEN youll get a higher wage and bring skills that may not be available locally, thereby not taking jobs from locals. | 6
mandja 16:03 UTC 03 Aug 2007 | Re #6 - check with international bodies as well - the UN, FAO, World Bank etc - google them | 7
oldpro 14:09 UTC 04 Aug 2007 | If you want to live in paradise then #6 has the correct idea. Don't think in terms of showing up, being prepared to take on any job. Low economy countries like Fiji don't need workers at that end of the economy. They need specialists, people with skills not available among their own work force. And even if you have a needed skill, chances are pretty good that a Fijian company won't be able to pay you anyway. For that reason, what I in fact did (not in Fiji, though) was find a foreign aid/development organization that covered at least part of my basic living costs, health insurance etc. | 8