Unemployed Mauritians: 16 280; Foreign Workers: 40 000

According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Labour, they are a little more than 40,000 foreign workers employed in different sectors of the Mauritian economy. It is in the manufacturing sector that counts the largest number of "foreign workers", 30 422. Follows the construction with a total of 5,739 foreign workers. This, while the number of registered unemployed at the Ministry of Labour totaled 16,280, including 12,068 women.

At the Mauritius Employers' Federation (MEF), is said to recognize that the problem of "mismatch" is growing.

"There are many young people who prefer to stay unemployed instead of taking employment in the hospitality industry and textiles," says Pradeep Dursun, general manager of the MEF. Thus, he expressed hope that the government is proposing a national employment policy to improve the situation.

For Radhakrishna Sadien, trade unionist, is a reorientation of higher education remains the solution to this problem.

"Institutions of higher education are often disconnected from the needs of the employer. You can not have only academic education system

be cut off from reality, "he said.

The vast majority of foreign workers in Mauritius is from Bangladesh, 18 898 followed by India which has 9,052 expatriates, China (4390) and Madagascar (3757).