While acknowledging the high cost of living, Tina Bury told a Scrutiny public hearing yesterday that messages of ‘doom and gloom’ were adding to young adults’ pessimism about whether they could build a life in the Bailiwick.
‘I think we could do ourselves a favour by trying to speak more positively about what we’re doing to help them,’ she said.
‘If we keep saying that Guernsey is not a place where you can stay then that is what they will think. There is an element of us having to try to change the narrative and say “this is what we are going to try to do to help you stay” and then we have to do those things.’
There is a widespread perception of an increasing number of young people leaving the island for financial reasons.
However, policy discussions in this area are hampered by the absence of up-to-date population data as a result of the States’ ongoing IT crisis and it is unclear when accurate statistics will be available again.
Deputy Bury, the Employment & Social Security president, believed that it was nevertheless possible to pick up a growing sense of concern among many young people.
‘At the moment, I think there is quite a fear around young people, and a narrative of “I will not be able to afford a house”,’ she said.
‘They don’t use this phrase but basically the world is going to hell in a handcart, they are concerned about the environment, they are concerned about jobs, they are concerned about AI, and they are concerned about housing costs. That’s something I hear within their peer group.’
Deputy Bury said that all States members recognised there was a need to ‘focus on our young people coming back or not leaving’ and that ‘incentives’ were under discussion. She also acknowledged that the States ‘might not be doing that much at the moment’ to respond to youngsters’ fears of diminishing prospects in Guernsey, but spoke about ‘intentions’ to provide more support which may come to fruition following the States Assembly’s agreement last week of a new tax package after months of debate.
Amendments successfully added to that package included preparatory work on the introduction of additional tax allowances for young adults wanting to remain in the island or return and tax incentives for adults with children. It also included a direction for a vote this time next year on setting up tax-free savings accounts for first-time buyers.
Meanwhile, in a work plan published last week, ESS has said that it wants to develop proposals to legislate for shared parental leave before the end of the States term.