“We are successful because of immigration, not in spite of it”

Thursday 18 December 2014

A buoyant Chief Minister has set out the benefits of immigration in an end-of-year speech to business leaders that appeared to hint that he wants to relax population controls.

Ian Gorst was speaking to the Institute of Directors yesterday when he said that he and his Council of Ministers – which he referred to as “the best team of ministers ever assembled” – would be focused on economic growth and jobs for the next three and a half years.

Earlier this year, Senator Gorst won States approval for a two-year extenstion to the current “target” of 325 extra Islanders through immigration every year – despite the fact that the target had been exceeded every year since it was adopted in 2009, with the average net immigration figure per 12 months being 575.

Although Senator Gorst did not explicitly say that he wanted to relax the rules, the major part of his speech was a nod towards the benefits of immigration.

He said: “I can understand that people are worried about the future of this small island – it has a finite capacity and we need to make sure any decisions on population are in our best interests.

“But we are a successful jurisdiction because of immigration, not in spite of it. So it is fundamental to the future of our island that we get this issue right.

“If we pull up the drawbridge and shut off immigration altogether, we will not create the jobs and investment we need to fund services for the people who are already here. For the sake of jobs, livelihoods and opportunities for our people - we must guard against the misguided view that Jersey can withdraw from the world and somehow all will be well. We may be an island – but we should not be insular.”

Senator Gorst also set out other priorities for the next three and a half years, including: more focus on children during the first 1,001 days of life; developing a family policy including reviewing tax and benefits; redesigning health care including mental health provision; adopting a new disability strategy; exemptions in the employment law for small businesses and social security reform for the self-employed.