(f) The need to encourage the local community to be better trained and aware of the economic focus of the Island so that we have locals trained to work in those areas where there is the greatest need and to foster a climate where locals actively seek training and upgrade their skill-sets so they can participate more actively and benefit in the economic success that is Bermuda.

Bermuda's two economic pillars are international business and tourism. Given the present state of our tourism industry, international business is the primary source of our foreign exchange earnings and is currently the mainstay of our economy. Human capital is considered to be a key factor in continued economic growth and there are shortages in some of the economic sectors which are needed in Bermuda. This places increasing pressure on the Government and the private sector, given the thrust to grow the economic pie, to encourage employers to provide training opportunities for Bermudians, in conjunction with those training programmes and internships available through the education system and the National Training Board. The challenge and the opportunity are for the Government to find ways and means so that our economy can become more inclusionary.

Long-term Residents

One of the social issues related to the balance between economic benefits and social costs has arisen because of the historical laissez-faire tradition of allowing non-Bermudians to work in Bermuda without any time limit on how long any individual may remain in Bermuda. Non-Bermudians are granted permits to work in jobs where no qualified Bermudians are available. Each job that is held by a non-Bermudian on a work permit is advertised every three years. As long as no qualified Bermudian has applied, a work permit is generally renewed. Most work permits are for one year, although about one fifth of them are longer-term permits up to five years validity. Especially in those categories where the foreign workers are most concentrated i.e. where there are insufficient Bermudian workers to meet the demand, one finds significant numbers (estimated at 2,000) non-Bermudians who have lived in Bermuda for twenty years or more.

In recent years these long-term residents have called for extended privileges to work and reside in Bermuda. The Bermuda Government has produced a Green Paper on this subject which has been extensively discussed in the community and in the Legislature. Even at the stage of publishing the Green Paper on long-term residents, the Government had already decided that they should not be granted Bermudian status. The thought of large numbers of long-term residents being granted full citizenship rights in Bermuda fills Bermudians with fear that indigenous Bermudians and future generations

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