GIBRALTAR MUST DO MORE TO REVERSE TALENT DRAIN AND BOOST LOCAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Together Gibraltar is concerned but not surprised by preliminary figures which show less than half of graduates end up working in Gibraltar. 

Together Gibraltar appreciate the publication of these preliminary figures and are grateful that Mr. Bossano is speaking up about the need for greater economic resilience in Gibraltar. Since their formation, Together Gibraltar have argued that reliance on a small number of sectors holds Gibraltar back, prevents talented graduates from working in Gibraltar, and puts Gibraltar’s economic future at risk. The government is not doing enough to create sustainable, high quality job growth nor to support homegrown business. 

Despite the prevalence of technology jobs in Gibraltar, technology-led companies, such as online gaming companies, employ very few Gibraltarians, instead relying on international recruitment or cross-border workers. This is a travesty when there are so many local graduates who could be filling these jobs.

Gibraltar needs to do more to encourage firms to build up local talent. This will create opportunities for companies and employees alike. We see this network effect in the legal and company management sectors: more talent development means more opportunities in Gibraltar, and more opportunities means more talent comes to the rock. We need to extend this network effect to a wider range of sectors and ensure that Gibraltar becomes as known for its talented workforce as it is for its tax and regulatory environments. 

Young entrepreneurs are also increasingly finding that it’s actually easier to open a business abroad than in their hometown, further holding Gibraltar back. In 2019, Together Gibraltar put forward the idea of an Enterprise Investment Scheme which would support new businesses which build products and services and employ people in Gibraltar. This scheme is needed now more than ever to ensure that we’re providing opportunities for young people while staying competitive as a tourism and business hub. Per our meeting with the GFSB, there are few resources for those looking to start a business and a tremendous amount of red tape.

Together Gibraltar also raises concerns about the public sector, noting that Gibraltarian graduates who do return to the rock have consistently been kept on supply lists or zero-hour contracts instead of being offered permanent positions with stability and career prospects. This has a knock-on effect on our public services as it creates a lack of continuity and a loss of skills as public servants retire with no one in place to pass their knowledge on to. 

There is also a shortage of technical skills in the public sector such as in IT and heritage preservation. Government needs to ensure that young Gibraltarians know about these gaps and that there is a meaningful career for those who seek to pursue these skills.

Gibraltar’s current approach is the opposite of what we need and what we see happening across the UK and Europe. Public sectors are making a targeted effort to bring young graduates into public service and instil them with the skills they need to maintain and modernise these services. Young people are really keen to make a difference but a lack of development processes and perception of nepotism has created a sense of defeatism which pushes young Gibraltarians away.

Speaking to young graduates, Together Gibraltar understands that a total dearth of  affordable rental properties also contributes to this problem as young Gibraltarians have to live with parents for many years and young families cannot move in together unless they rent across the border.

This is further exacerbated by a lack of childcare provisions which means young families will be better off outside of Gibraltar. Gibraltar used to be known as a great place to raise a family but nowadays, with both parents expected to work, it’s very difficult unless parents have a strong local support network to look after children while they are at work. 

For their part, Together Gibraltar will keep pushing for a better deal for young Gibraltarians. The party will keep fighting for statutory parental leave for all parents, prioritise the availability of affordable rental properties and a diversified economy which creates high quality jobs for graduates and non-graduates alike.