Longer employment permits for Guernsey workers welcomed

Updated permits will bring in more people to work in Guernsey, the States said

Changes to medium term employment permits have been welcomed by multiple Guernsey sectors.

The States Assembly agreed to extend all five-year employment permits to eight years to improve recruitment for businesses, including in education and "many other roles".

Construction and hospitality businesses will be able to recruit from anywhere in the world, as restrictions on employees being from the Common Travel Area and EU/EEA only countries will end.

Deputy Simon Vermeulen, Vice-President of the Committee for Home Affairs and a former hotelier, said the changes presented a "significant opportunity" to improve the hospitality sector.

"It is well-known that the hospitality sector has had significant challenges in recruiting the staff it needs since Brexit, which resulted in EU nationals needing a visa and therefore made the UK and by extension the Channel Islands less attractive to this important workforce, and the pandemic," he said.

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture, said it was "simply not possible" to recruit teachers only on-island.

She said: "We have always needed to attract good-quality teachers to come to live and work in the island and in recent years teachers have largely received five-year medium term employment permits.

"This is a positive change for the education service, as we need to use every available tool to try and sell the island to potential candidates in a very competitive recruitment space."