The disparity in pay between black Bermudians and their non-Bermudian counterparts is one of the top priorities that needs addressing, it was concluded at the Bermuda Employers Council Annual General Meeting yesterday.

The event, which was held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel, featured a panel of columnist and researcher Larry Burchall, Bermuda College economist Craig Simmons, general secretary of the Bermuda Public Services Union Ed Ball, the Association of Bermuda International Companies executive director Richard Winchell, and Government backbencher Dale Butler debating a number of issues from the shift in social progression of black Bermudians to the education and training of young Bermudians, as well as the importance of attracting and keeping job creators on the Island.

The panel then took questions from the floor including the pay differential for blacks in the US versus that of Bermuda and the idea of reducing Government's workforce and payroll to free up more Bermudians for the private sector, in addition to hearing comments from Gerald Simons, president and CEO of the Argus Group, and Myron Piper, of the Bermuda Educational Parents' Association.

Mr. Burchall started the discussion by highlighting the transition over the past couple of decades from tourism to international business as the main driver behind Bermuda's economy, at the same time altering the direction of the social progression of the black Bermudian as guest workers arrived and global companies set up on the Island.

He said the move in focus had changed the inequality between black and white Bermudians and brought the former into direct competition with expatriate workers, with race or skin colour not becoming such an issue.

"It is more likely that a black Bermudian will find himself out-earned by another black non-Bermudian who is working here in Bermuda," Mr. Burchall said.

"As a national issue racial and racial discrimination has receded and has been replaced by a much bigger new factor."

Mr. Winchell then gave a perspective from the international business side, stressing the value of job creators to Bermuda's economy and the need to welcome new companies to its shores to recruit and develop local talent, some of whom had lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn.

Mr. Butler wrapped up the presentations with a speech on the need to address the skills shortage, starting with improving education standards and finding a way to plug the gap in the fields of profession most required in the Island's business community. Turning to the questions and answers session, Mr. Burchall responded to a query about the pay disparity that existed between blacks and whites in America, saying that Bermuda was a completely different situation and what applied in the US was not necessarily the same in Bermuda, with black Bermudians in the majority and running the country having the power to effect change.

"You can fix it out of education," he said. "Colour is not an issue, but if you are a Bermudian who majored in business at an American college at the fourth tier you may not be offered the same pay as a black non-Bermudian because of difference in the skills sets you both bring.

"There is a difference between us on this Island as Bermudians and people that come here to work — the difference is huge."

Mr. Ball said that although he was Bermudian, he did not know what it felt like to be Bermudian anymore, and urged Bermudians to stand up and take control of their own destiny.

Changing subject to public sector workers, Mr. Burchall said Government would continue to employ more Bermudians as it expanded, but this was increasing the number of expatriate workers required due to a lack of Bermudians available to fill private sector roles.

"I think Government, in its future plan, needs to consider this because if Bermudians are not going to increase in numbers we are going to get to a point where Government is the main employer of Bermudians and the private sector is driven by non-Bermudians," he said.