New Digital Portal for Indian Worker Recruitment as 5 Sectors Face Critical Labour Deficits

The Economic Development Board (EDB) has officially launched a new digital platform designed specifically for the recruitment of Indian workers to Mauritius, aiming to simplify and accelerate the entry procedures for foreign labour amid a persistent workforce crisis.

The system was officially unveiled on Monday in Ébène. Developed in partnership with the Indian government via the National Skill Development Corporation, the digital portal arrives as acute labour shortages continue to weigh heavily on several key sectors of the Mauritian economy.

Cutting Out Private Agencies

According to EDB Chairman Sanjay Bhunjun, the five sectors currently facing major manpower deficits are construction, hospitality, ICT, commerce, and financial services.

The new digital infrastructure completely transforms the traditional hiring pipeline by allowing Mauritian companies to submit their recruitment requests directly online. The process operates through the following steps:

• Online Submission: Mauritian employers log on to submit their specific labor demands.
• EDB Evaluation: The EDB reviews and analyses the applications.
• Government Referral: Approved dossiers are forwarded directly to the Indian authorities, who are responsible for identifying the requested professional profiles.

A major feature of this system is the total elimination of intermediaries. Mauritian employers will no longer need to utilise private recruitment agencies to secure foreign personnel.

The mechanism has already transitioned past its initial trial phase.

Following a successful pilot project conducted with the supermarket chain Super U, 22 companies are already actively using the digital system.

Post-Pandemic Domestic Challenges

The necessity for such a system was highlighted by Pascal Tsin, the CEO of Super U, who revealed that local recruitment efforts have yielded incredibly poor results despite a high volume of domestic applications.

“Out of 100 applications received, barely five candidates show up and remain interested in the position,” Mr Tsin stated.

Mr Tsin estimates that the labor shortage has severely worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

He attributed the decline to a distinct shift in mindset among certain young people, alongside broader social issues, specifically citing drugs.

Faced with these severe local recruitment hurdles, Super U has progressively pivoted toward hiring foreign personnel.

The retailer now employs approximately 250 expatriates—representing nearly one-third of its total workforce—with the majority of these workers arriving from Nepal, Madagascar, and Bangladesh.

A Secure ‘Government-to-Government’ Framework

The diplomatic community has hailed the initiative as a robust solution to the island’s economic bottlenecks.

Anurag Srivastava, the Indian High Commissioner to Mauritius, stated that the platform represents a significant step forward in addressing the rising manpower requirements across the Mauritian economy.

The diplomat affirmed that this “government-to-government” recruitment mechanism guarantees a process that is entirely transparent, secure, and structured for both Mauritian employers and Indian labourers alike.

Source: Defi Media