Bermuda is at risk of becoming an island of two extremes, inhabited only by the very wealthy and poorly paid foreign labour working in service industries, according to a former government MP.

In an opinion piece in today’s Royal Gazette, Rolfe Commissiong, who was MP for Pembroke South East for eight years until 2020, said that both middle-class and low-income Bermudians were being squeezed out of their island home because of a boom in international business.

However, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office responded last night that Government policies had helped a growing number of young Bermudians find work in the IB sector.

Mr Commissiong’s remarks were prompted by the results of a survey published last week which suggested that more than 70 per cent of residents would consider leaving the island, primarily because of economic hardship.

He said mass emigration was “the canary in the coalmine” and a sign that Bermuda was sleepwalking towards becoming “a place only for very wealthy, high-net-worth individuals and that the goods and services they require would be provided by a growing a number of low-cost, low to medium-skilled foreign labour”.

Mr Commissiong singled out David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, and Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, for particular criticism.

He wrote: “Both Mr Burt and Mr Hayward mimic my talking points by reciting the mantras ‘cost of living’ and ‘cost of doing business’ every chance they get.

“But what they don’t do is look at the other side of the ledger and acknowledge that both of those critical issues and their adverse outcomes — including the significant exodus of Bermudians overseas — are directly tied to the so-called phenomenal rise in the growth and expansion of the international business sector.”

Mr Commissiong said that Mr Burt, as “gaslighter-in-chief“, was guilty of placating ”the new foreign-born oligarchs of the international business sector“.

“Clearly, this is an example that demonstrates once again that our Black leadership class is not in power; only in government,” he said.

Mr Commissiong added that the Government had failed to impose a minimum wage within the hospitality sector, resulting in vacancies increasingly being filled by foreign workers on “poverty-level wages“, freezing out Bermudians.

He concluded: “All of the above, while being blind to the consequences of the social and economic harm this would cause to their own Bermudian communities. In other words, their misguided policies would only ensure that Black Bermudians could not afford to work in this sector — a state of affairs that is driving increased emigration from Bermuda.”

In response to the comments, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office said that IB continued to play a positive role in the economy and the lives of many Bermudians.

“While we recognise the impact that IB has had on the cost of living, we must also recognise that across the globe, a large number of countries are struggling not just with the cost of living, but also with housing,” the spokeswoman said.

“Notwithstanding that, this government has pushed forward initiatives to tackle the local impact of this global problem.”

The spokeswoman said the Government had frozen fuel prices, reformed electricity pricing, invested $15 million into affordable housing, introduced a minimum wage, prevented employers from retaining workers tips, expanded childcare benefits and reduced payroll tax.

“Adding to the positive outlook, the labour force survey indicates that Bermudians are returning to work, with unemployment in Bermuda lower than pre-pandemic levels, and employee compensation has increased in six sectors,” the spokeswoman added.

“The fact is there are increasing numbers of young Bermudians entering the IB sector as a direct result of this government’s policies, which is a fact that is ignored by the author of the op-3d.”

The spokeswoman added that the Government recognised that there were others still looking to work and trying to make ends meet and the Government would continue to work to address the cost of living and create jobs.