A new ?workforce taskforce? will bring a number of agencies together to assess gaps in the labour market that could be filled by Bermudians instead of guest workers.

Labour Minister Randy Horton announced the plan this week, at the same time as an Opposition MP told how Bermudians are feeling ?dislocated? because key jobs are being filled by those on work permits.

The Minister said the figure of 9,700 standard work permit holders as of November 30 this year was partly explained by the need to bring in workers for the reconstruction projects prompted by Hurricane Fabian.

Expressing concerns that Bermudians are failing to land ?higher level? jobs in the labour market, he said he was ?very excited? by the plans to bring together all the agencies currently working individually to address this. We will be setting up a workforce development taskforce which will include organisations such as the National Training Board, CURE, Bermuda College, the Employers? Council and the Chamber of Commerce, to look at where the gaps in the workforce are,? he said.

?We want to fill those gaps and are taking a very serious look at that.

?There are many good things going on but we have got to co-ordinate the agencies and look at what jobs are available and what areas we need more Bermudian workers in.?

Mr. Horton had, on Monday, revealed the figure of 9,700 work permit holders in response to a Parliamentary question tabled by Opposition MP Maxwell Burgess.

He also confirmed that there are currently eight categories closed to permit holders: airline ground agent, floor supervisor, general labourer, office receptionist, painter, salesperson, taxi driver and wallpaper technician.

Also released this week were figures from the Department of Statistics which showed that Bermudians predominantly held labouring and clerical positions last year, earning a mid-range wage of $45,503 per year ? more than $10,000 less than guest workers who predominantly work as accountants.

Mr. Burgess, Shadow Minister Without Portfolio, said of the current situation: ?People are getting more and more concerned about the absence of opportunities for Bermudians in the workplace and there is certainly some sense of being dislocated.

?If I was a gambling man I would have lost money if I had been asked to guess how many work permit holders there are ? I didn?t believe that the figure was that high.?

Mr. Burgess said that a step in the right direction would be more scholarships targeted at encouraging young Bermudians into specific jobs such as chef, nurse and accountant ? currently positions mainly held by permit holders.