As of yesterday May 15, a quota entitlement for employing

As of yesterday May 15, a quota entitlement for employing non-Seychellois workers has come into force.
The industries concerned by the quota entitlement are tourism, construction, agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, financial services, trade and
commerce, domestic work.
The Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development, together with other ministries and agencies concerned yesterday started a series
of meetings for general managers, human resource managers to give them more details on the quota entitlement and to answer questions and
clarifications they may have.
The Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development has also issued new guidelines for recruiting non-Seychellois workers and these
are being distributed to the managers as they attend the meetings.
The meetings started yesterday morning at the National Cultural Centre with the tourism industry and it was presided by the Labour and
Human Resource Development Minister Idith Alexander.
The meetings for the financial services, trade and commerce and domestic work industries were held yesterday afternoon. The Ministry of
Labour and Human Resource Development will meet with managers from the construction industry this morning while the meeting for the
agriculture, fishing and manufacturing industries will be held this afternoon.
Minister Alexander said the quota entitlement follows a decision taken last year after consultations with various stakeholders.
“The aim is to create jobs and ensure Seychellois are continuously provided with job opportunities,” Minister Alexander said.
Giving details of the quota entitlement Benilda Cupidon, the ministry’s labour and migration director, said the new procedure to recruit
expatriates will work alongside the localisation plan to ensure Seychellois are the first to get the opportunity to secure these job positions.
The quota will be classified into three categories she explained and these are as follows:
Category 1: tourism, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, fisheries, and financial services
Category 2: Trade and commerce, domestic workers for private elderly homes
Category 3: domestic workers for individual employers.
The number of foreign workers that a tourism establishment will be able to employ will be based on:
Entitlement rates for accommodations on Mahé, on the inner islands and for island resorts.
The quota allocation for existing establishments is calculated based on the current workforce and number of hotel rooms whereas the rate
allocated to new future hotels is based on hotel rating and star ratio.
The quota in the construction industry will apply to contractors and sub-contractors while the quota for companies in thenagriculture industry
is categorised by the size of the farm as determined by the Seychelles Agricultural Agency.
In the manufacturing industry the quota for companies is categorised by their size as determined by the National Bureau of Statistics while
the allocation for companies in the fishing industry is categorised by their activities as determined by the Seychelles Fishing Authority.
In the financial services the quota will apply to the different categories of business which fall in this industry and these are banks, insurance
companies, audit firms, money exchange and allocation of quota is categorised by their size and workforce.
The trade and commerce industry is classified in three categories as defined by the Seychelles Licensing Authority and these are import,
wholesale and retail and the quota is based on their turnover.
With regard to domestic work, the category of domestic workers for private homes for the elderly is classified as – elder care giver,
housekeeper and nurse.
All locally registered companies which fall in Category 1 wishing to recruit expatriates should apply in writing to the Ministry of Labour
and Human Resource Development for a certificate of entitlement.
To be eligible for such a certificate a company must show proof that it is currently adhering to all provisions of the Employment Act and
other government regulations and is within the quota entitlement.
It is to be noted that the quota entitlement for businesses which fall in Category 2 will not be automatic as they will be required to test the
local labour market first and this will also apply for employers seeking to recruit non-Seychellois in other areas.