Minister Michael Myles at the Chamber of Commerce 2026 Economic Forum(CNS): Michael Myles, the minister responsible for employment and labour, has asked local businesses to challenge themselves about whether they are doing enough to help local people secure and retain good jobs and develop careers in their own country. But alongside his ministry’s efforts, he urged employers to help him make the necessary changes to provide local people with job opportunities and fulfilling careers. He lamented past failures to develop a national workforce and accepted that there are issues with workforce readiness among some young people. However, he said he was well aware of the frustrations faced by employers and the “excruciatingly slow pace” of the work permit process. He said he planned to also work extremely hard to fix the problems with the work permit system.