The Bermudian workforce is declining and the Island will have to take on more foreign workers to fill the void, Home Affairs Minister Randolph Horton said on Wednesday.

Mr. Horton made the statement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday afternoon in response to Opposition Leader Grant Gibbon's suggestion the Government has only been creating jobs for non-Bermudians, "despite its policy regarding term limits for foreign workers".

His comments were based on the Budget figures which revealed that the number of work permits issued in 2004 had leapt to 16,500 from 12,875 the year before.

"The Government does not create jobs, the market forces in a healthy economy produce jobs," Mr. Horton said.

"The truth is there are not enough Bermudians, about 9,000 too few, to fill all the jobs in the economy...Term limits were not designed to reduce the number of non-Bermudian workers, but to see that non-Bermudian workers do not remain in Bermuda for decades and are regularly replaced by others...There is no such thing as Bermudian jobs and non-Bermudian jobs. The figures simply reflect that the economy has been growing faster than the Bermudian workforce."

Mr. Horton said the growth in work permit figures reflects the growing trend of issuing temporary three-month permits to foreign nationals "to get them to work quickly" while the "standard documentation" for their permanent permit is being assembled.

"Dr. Gibbons first of all complains about jobs being created for non-Bermudians," Mr. Horton said, "and then he blames term limits for causing 'a quiet exodus of both new and existing mid-level professional positions.

"He cannot have it both ways. In fact, I am happy to report of at least one recruitment firm who have proudly pointed to their record for luring Bermudians back home to assume top positions in the international company business...These conclusions support our statement that, with the carve-out of key persons the work permit term limit policy will have a minimal impact on our economy but it will achieve our commitment of ensuring that no new long-term residents will be created."