Page 12 - IB November 2024

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CCI President David Guyenne

USTKE President Melanie Atapo Forum leaders meet with Mahe Gowe, President of the Kanak Customary Senate

“What happened…was really hell” early. They often lack the qualifications to compete with
David Guyenne is President of New Caledonia’s Chamber of migrants in a job market that’s structured around French
Commerce and Industry (CCI-NC), which represents business bureaucratic systems and can face racial discrimination.
leaders from large corporations and small and medium The current crisis has amplified long-standing social
enterprises. inequalities that are documented by the Institute of Statistics
“What happened to us on 13 May was really hell,” Guyenne and Economic Studies (ISEE-NC). This year, the French
told Islands Business. “My own business was burnt down two government agency has been gathering information on the
or three days after the beginning of the riots. The first night I economic and social fallout of the conflict. They report that
tried to go to the site to protect it from fires, but to get there one in six employees lost their jobs between March and
I had to cross five roundabouts which were held by rioters. September, especially in the private sector: “In the third
I saw that mostly it was indigenous youth from the slums or quarter, salaried employment collapsed with 10,000 salaried
social housing.” jobs lost in the private sector since March 2024.”
While rural areas have been less affected by the crisis, According to ISEE: “The economic fabric is crumbling and
Noumea is a divided city. The southern suburbs of the capital there are 1000 fewer self-employed professional workers and
feature wealthy apartments, yacht harbours and tourist 30 fewer companies than at the end of 2023…the destruction
beaches. In contrast, tourists rarely venture into working class of salaried jobs in the private sector had started before the
and industrial suburbs in the north of the capital. Even with May events (particularly in connection with the Koniambo
new housing estates that accommodate people moving into nickel announcements), but has increased since then.”
the Southern Province from rural areas, thousands of Kanak By the end of September, 5070 people were still receiving
and Wallisian islanders still live in squatter settlements dotted full unemployment benefits, double the normal rate. Another
around the capital. 11,300 people had kept their jobs but with reduced working
CCI’s David Guyenne noted that “ever since 2018, more hours, as companies received partial unemployment subsidies
indigenous people are living in the city than on their paid to employers by the French government. The subsidy
customary land. That’s the first time this has happened in scheme was due to finish on 30 October, but has now been
the history of the Kanak people. If you don’t have enough extended until Christmas. After that, a lot depends on the
economic resources and business activity, you cannot size of France’s national budget for 2025, which was due in
integrate them, and that becomes a problem.” September, but is still being finalised.
Many young Kanak, however, can’t get good jobs. Despite Beyond the loss of skilled staff, small and medium
training programs and educational reforms under the 1998 enterprises face other problems that undercut their viability.
Noumea Accord, many Kanak are still pushed out of school “Insurance is another urgent matter that needs to be

12 Islands Business, November 2024