Nukuʻalofa, Tonga (ILO News) – Tonga’s first ever National Employment Policy (NEP) is close to finalization, following validation of the draft by stakeholders at a workshop held in Nuku’alofa on 4-5 February 2025.
The two-day validation workshop brought together more than 30 representatives of government agencies, trade unions, employers and private sector, civil society and academia. Supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the NEP aims to respond to the current employment challenges and to contribute decent job creation in Tonga.
The workshop provided the opportunity to review and validate the current draft policy, allowing stakeholders to engage in discussions across the different thematic areas that the policy will cover, including employment conditions, skills development, local economic growth and formalization, employment promotion for vulnerable groups and labour migration. The workshop also reviewed the proposed action plan that will be part of the policy and discussed the proposed mechanism for implementation.
Mele ‘Amanaki, Secretary-General of the Tonga National Workers Council, said: “This policy is very important for Tonga because we really need a policy that will guide us with respect to our economic development and the development of our workers, while also strengthening the employers. We are very happy with the current draft NEP, because it brings us together – government, employers and also workers – to work together towards improving employment in Tonga and the business and economic development in Tonga.”
Sam Vea, President of the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also stressed the importance of the policy, especially for the private sector in Tonga and in order to attract overseas investment into the country.
Christian Viegelahn, ILO Employment Specialist, said, “This NEP will fully reflect the views and ideas from all stakeholders in Tonga. The discussions we have had were key to ensure that everyone is on board.”
Once finalized, it is expected that the NEP will be submitted to Cabinet for adoption.
The initiative is supported by the ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries, in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga and funded by the Joint SDG Fund through the Joint Programme on Advancing the SDGs by Improving Livelihoods and Resilience through Economic Diversification and Digital Transformation in five Pacific Island Countries.
