Fiji’s mining sector is wrestling with a severe shortage of skilled workers just as fresh capital is being committed to restart exploration at the historic Mt Kasi goldfield in Vanua Levu. On 29 November 2025, Vatukoula Gold Mine Ltd (VGML) vice-chairman Ian He warned that persistent skills gaps were slowing efforts to rehabilitate the 90-year-old Vatukoula operations and affecting other projects across the sector.
He said companies were competing for a limited pool of experienced miners, many of whom had left for higher-paying positions overseas. Entry-level recruits require around six months of on-the-job training before becoming productive, and several years to reach higher skill levels, stretching balance sheets and project timelines. VGML, Lion One (Tuvatu) and Amex (Ba iron ore) have jointly raised their concerns with the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation, which is now expected to engage with government agencies on possible policy responses.
At the same time, VGML has confirmed it will invest about $15.7 million in a three-year exploration programme at Mt Kasi under a Special Prospecting Licence awarded in 2023, part of a broader $200 million capital commitment by new majority shareholder Shandong Zhaojin Group. Landowner opposition had stalled work earlier this year, but talks brokered by the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources have cleared the way for field teams of geologists and environmental staff to begin preliminary sampling and baseline environmental studies.
The Mt Kasi programme illustrates both the opportunity and the constraints confronting Fiji’s mineral industry. If exploration confirms economically viable deposits, VGML could move into more capital-intensive drilling within three to five years, potentially creating jobs and new supplier demand in Vanua Levu. Yet staffing those operations may require a mix of local recruitment, training partnerships and carefully managed specialist imports – a politically sensitive balance given recent scrutiny of foreign workers in the sector.
For policymakers, the twin stories at Vatukoula and Mt Kasi point to the need for a clearer national skills strategy for mining, including technical education pathways, retention incentives and alignment with the wider national development plan. Without that, significant new capital could struggle to translate into timely production and lasting local benefits.
