Chamber acknowledged that "balancing population controls in relation to infrastructure capabilities versus the needs of the business community can be a challenge", but said that it demands urgent attention.

Pictured: Chamber Chief Executive Gillian Martindale-Parsons and President Eliot Lincoln.

The letter notes that Chamber has been made "increasingly aware" of the challenges its members are facing with recruitment. As a result, they conducted a targeted recruitment survey, which they say have corroborated the anecdotal evidence.

"Sourcing suitably trained available employees in Jersey has become extremely difficult. It has now become such a major problem, that it is having a negative impact on business growth, profitability and in turn, increasing stress levels for existing employees."

84% of respondents said their recruitment issues were due to a lack of available candidates, with 71% citing the lack of suitably trained staff as also causing problems. For three quarters of them, full-time permanent staff were the most difficult to recruit. More than half respondents also noted that recruitment was harder now than in the last 12 to 24 months.

Describing the results as "quite alarming", the group called for politicians to take them into consideration when developing future migration policies. "Specifically with regards the extremely high number of companies currently recruiting versus the length of time it takes to find suitable staff. The net result of which has forced businesses to target existing workers in Jersey, generating organisational churn and wage inflation, none of which are sustainable."

While Chamber said they appreciate that some controls may be necessary due to the island's finite resources, they added: "However, it is imperative the States acknowledge that businesses must have the flexibility to employ the right person and number of people for their organisations to operate and flourish. Restricting recruitment ultimately restricts economic growth, a situation which many of our members now find themselves in."

The letter concludes that the issue of "access to suitable employees that allows member organisations to grow and flourish" is an absolutely critical issue. "An issue that every single electoral candidate, our new States Chief Executive and future Council of Ministers must address immediately for the sake of both protecting and helping to grow the island's economy."

The Council of Ministers' proposition will not be debated until after the election, meaning that the plans will be one of the first items to be discussed by the new States Assembly.