On Tuesday 7th April 2026 the IOM Chief of Mission to Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Alia Hirji paid a courtesy visit to the Minister for Employment and Human Resource Planning, Ms Idith Alexander.  Ms Hirji is in Seychelles for the inception phase of the Regional Responses to Climate Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa (RE2CLID) Project.  She took the opportunity of her mission to call on Minister Alexander as the new minister responsible for employment to share updates on joint initiatives currently ongoing and discuss future collaborations in areas of priority for the country, specifically relating to the management of migrant workers.

Seychelles became a member of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in December 2011.  Areas of cooperation relevant to employment and labour have focused mainly on labour migration management, that covers subjects such as ethical recruitment, labour mobility, and migration data.   Support has been through assistance with policy development, drafting of a migration profile, facilitation of workshops and exchange visits with like-minded countries and data gap assessment.  Mrs Hirji informed that IOM intends to build on these areas going forward and invest more in private sector involvement who are the main recruiters of migrant workers. 

Minister Alexander gave an overview of the Ministry’s priorities relevant to migrant recruitment that includes the review of important policies and laws such as the National Employment Policy, Labour Migration Policy and the Employment Act 1995.  She informed of the newly formed joint committee with the Immigration Department to discuss common pertinent issues as they come up and of the newly revamped cross sector Committee on Employment of Non-Seychellois Workers (CENS) re-named Non-Seychellois Employment Committee (NEC) involving relevant stakeholders including the private sector and workers’ representatives. The Minister also spoke about the government’s plan to digitalise its services, which aims for a more efficient service delivery, where the processing of application for recruitment of non-Seychellois workers will also be part of.

The meeting concluded with the commitment from both sides to work towards a more coordinating approach across different sectors for better results and the potential for further collaboration in areas of common interest.

Minister Idith Alexander embarks on workplace visits

The Minister for Employment and Human Resource Planning, Ms. Idith Alexander, has undertaken her first official workplace visits since assuming office. Two tourism establishments - STORY Seychelles and Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino - were selected for the occasion.

During the visits, Minister Alexander engaged with staff both collectively and individually, followed by a tour of key departments within the two establishments. The ministerial delegation later held a debriefing session with senior management.

Employees raised several concerns, including qualified Seychellois being overlooked for senior positions in favour of expatriate workers, shortages of manpower in certain departments, ineffective management of absenteeism, issues surrounding recruitment procedures, amongst others.

Staff also called for a review of the Employment Act to allow private sector workers with five or more years of continuous service to receive their compensation every five years, rather than only at the end of their tenure.

In her discussions with staff and management, Minister Alexander emphasised that safeguarding workers’ rights remains a national priority. At the same time, she urged employees to respect employment laws and regulations to foster strong and harmonious relations with their employers.

The Ministry of Employment and Human Resource Planning reaffirmed its commitment to promoting fair and balanced workplace relations, particularly in the tourism sector, which continues to serve as the cornerstone of Seychelles’ economic development.

Minister Idith Alexander has begun a series of weekly workplace visits across the country. On Friday, 13 March 2026, she toured six farms in Au Cap and Anse Royale to identify challenges faced by farmers and promote agricultural development.

Her first stops were Simon Belle Farm and Phil’s Organic Farm in Au Cap, followed by visits to R-Farm, Jojo’s Farm, Geoffroy’s Farm, and Jacque Matombe’s Farm in Anse Royale. Minister Alexander was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Employment and Human Resource Planning. The delegation inspected crops, storage facilities, and staff accommodations.

The farmers’ most pressing concern was the shortage of manpower, a persistent issue in the agricultural sector. They reported difficulties in hiring Seychellois workers, citing unreliability that disrupts operations. One farm also raised concerns about theft involving certain foreign workers. Retaining young farmers was another challenge, with calls for targeted strategies to encourage graduates from the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH) to remain in the sector. Farmers further expressed frustration with the lengthy Gainful Occupation Permit (GOP) process, which they believe negatively impacts production.

Additional challenges included flooding on farmlands, poor-quality pesticides and fertilizers, crop diseases caused by pests, and difficulties in repaying loans. Despite these concerns, the delegation was encouraged by innovations at Geoffroy’s Farm, which is adopting eco-friendly practices. Owner, Mr. Jean-Paul Geoffroy has invested in modern equipment such as water filtration and storage systems, laboratory facilities for plant and seed samples, and hydroponics infrastructure. The farm has also employed a young agronomist from South Africa, Ms. Jancke van Wyk, to advise on soil health, disease prevention, and crop quality improvement.

Minister Alexander commended My Geffroy’s initiatives and stressed on the importance of innovation in sustainable farming. She urged all farmers to increase local production, especially in light of global uncertainties and reassured them of government’s commitment to support and empower them.

Issues raised during the visits will be taken into account when drafting future employment policies.

A large group of Human Resource Officers from the private sector attended the first HR Forum for 2026 organised by the Ministry of Employment and Human Resource Planning. The platform was established in September 2012 to discuss new policies and initiatives by government aimed at improving the capacity of HR Officers to serve their organisation effectively.

The half day forum held at AVANI+ in Barbarons consisted of presentations by senior officials of the ministry on several topics, including programmes and assistance available to jobseekers, 13^th month pay, retirement age, upcoming revisions to the Employment Act, among others.

During her opening address, Minister Idith Alexander stated that the ministry has formulated an ambitious plan for the next 5 years, with focus on:

• Policy development and legislative review to reflect evolving economic needs and align with new government’s strategy.
• Human resource planning to ensure human resource development is aligned with current and future workforce needs.
• Regulations and compliance to strengthen labour relations and ensure fair labour practices.
• Youth employment to reduce unemployment rate through specific programmes.
• Digital transformation to improve service delivery and management of information.
• Stakeholder engagement for enhanced collaboration.
• Staff retention to achieve continuity of service and career growth.

HR Officers actively engaged with senior officers of the ministry by seeking clarifications and offering valuable contributions aimed at fostering a fair working environment. The HR Forum will be held on a quarterly basis.

Ministry of Employment and Human Resource Planning

Press Release

Date: 13^th February, 2026

Minister Idith Alexander attends Global Conference on Elimination of Child Labour

The Minister for Employment and Human Resource Planning, Ms. Idith Alexander, is leading a delegation at the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, being held in Marrakech, Morocco from 11th to 13th February, 2026.

The conference brings together representatives of governments, employers' and workers' organisations from the 187 ILO member states, as well civil society, regional and international organisations, the private sector, youth group actors and academia.

It aims to encourage participants to discuss the scourge of child labour, share national and regional experiences, identify plausible solutions, and agree on urgent and concrete actions to be undertaken to eliminate child labour globally.

Over the 3 day conference, aside from plenary sessions, there is also an Innovation Fair which provides participants via smaller, workshop-style sessions the opportunity to engage on topics of interest such as hazardous work for children and youth, post 2030 child labour target setting, investing in change: leveraging investments and the role of international financial institutions to end child labour in agriculture, amongst other topics.

As of January 2026, Seychelles, does not have any recorded cases of child labour. This is due to the fact that there are mechanisms in place and laws have been enacted that prohibit and punish child exploitation. The country has ratified the Abolition of Force Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); and the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138).

The Ministry's participation at the Global Conference offers the opportunity to be apprised of the experiences of various countries, mechanisms used to identify and detect under reported cases of child labour exploitation and best practices employed to address the issue of child labour.

The other members of the Seychelles delegation are Principal Secretary for Labour Relations and Regulations, Mr. Steve Monnaie and the Senior Employment Officer, Ms. Pharisianne Lucas.

ILO Country Office Director Mr. Frederick Muia meets with senior officials of Employment Department

 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Office Director for Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and the Seychelles, Mr. Frederick Muia, met with officials of Employment Department on Tuesday 15^th April 2025. The meeting was held with  Chief Policy Analyst, Ms. Susan Morel, Principal Planning Officer, Mr. Mario Dupres, and Senior Cooperation Officer, Ms. Elaine Naiken.

Mr. Muia’s discussions with the Department centered on the upcoming ILO led Ministerial Round Table, regrouping the Ministers of labour and employment of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) for which the organisation counts on the Ministry’s support. Ms. Morel on her part highlighted progress of activities undertaken as part of the 2^nd Generation of the Seychelles Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) in collaboration with the ILO which will come to an end in December 2025 and key agenda of the upcoming 113^th Session of the International Labour Conference.

Mr. Muia expressed his deep satisfaction with work being undertaken by the Employment Department, the tangible progress made and anticipates continued and fruitful collaboration. Ms. Morel also expressed the sincere gratitude of the Department to the Director for assistance provided by the ILO and reassured of the Department’s unwavering support.

Mr. Muia was in Seychelles, attending the 39^th Meeting of Council of Ministers of Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), held from 14^th to 17^th April.