The future isn’t what it used to be. Many young people are now leaving or questioning whether Guernsey can remain their home. After navigating an education system plagued by uncertainty, they now face a housing market where home ownership feels more like fiction than aspiration. Guernsey has a future – but only if it can hold on to the young people who will build it.
Younger generations, for the most part, could not be more grateful to have grown up here. Those of us who left for university and returned all eventually realise what a gift island life is. But that gift, increasingly, comes with strings attached.
Young people are a crucial part of Guernsey’s future but a politically disregarded part of its present. Take the Youth States – one of the few forums where students can address deputies directly.
In 2023, the Guernsey Press reported that ‘deputies were invited to speak […] but only a few turned up. One of the Youth States members wrote to deputies to express their disappointment’. The year before, Youth States member, Imogen Bacon, described the 2022 meeting: ‘only six out of 38 deputies were able to attend […] it felt as if all our efforts had been for nothing’. From 2011-2018, the start of my secondary education to the end of my time at sixth form, deputies remained largely anonymous to us. Despite several landmark education debates occurring in those years, the most important beneficiaries – Guernsey’s students – were barely engaged or consulted.
If young people feel they have no influence over Guernsey’s future, why would they stay to be a part of it? If we fail to retain the next generation, the island risks an economic and social decline from which it may not recover. We would become increasingly reliant on external labour, unable to support an ageing population, struggle to attract investment and face erosion of our community. Treating young people as genuine stakeholders is no longer a fluffy, feel-good gesture – it’s a fundamental policy necessity for Guernsey’s long-term survival.
But government’s cold shoulder isn’t reserved solely for the young. In December, not a single deputy turned up to the Ageing Well in the Bailiwick event, where a £10,000 public opinion survey captured the views of over 600 retired islanders. Of course, no deputy can make every event – but when those most reliant on public services, young and old alike, are ignored, it simply isn’t good enough.
How do we reconcile these absences with the deputies who insist their role is not a full-time one? Yes, we need representatives who engage with and champion youth issues. But more than that, we need deputies who see their position not as a job, but as a vocation. Serving in the States should be a calling, not a career.
Moreover, our decision-makers appear out of touch with the issues that will define young people’s futures. Take artificial intelligence – a technology set to bring unprecedented economic disruption to Guernsey in the years ahead.
AI can already carry out white-collar work with greater efficiency and accuracy than humans can. Guernsey, like many modern economies, is heavily reliant on white-collar professions. Our finance sector accounts for 37% of GDP, employs 16% of our workforce and is larger than the next 10 local industries combined. This economic ecosystem is now at risk. A 2024 Citigroup report found over half of jobs in financial services are susceptible to automation by AI. A 2021 PwC report forecast similarly choppy waters for the Channel Islands labour market. Given then that our young people will inherit an economy built on shifting sands, what steps is the States taking to prepare for this change?
At a recent training session for prospective election candidates, this question was answered. We were treated to a presentation by civil servants which focused on Guernsey’s economy. After the talk, the presenters were asked: ‘What work has the States done to understand the impact of AI on local jobs?’ The startling answer, trailed by an uncomfortable silence, was ‘None’.
What will we do if thousands of islanders see their jobs taken away by AI? Will we provide retraining schemes, or introduce a UBI-style safety net? Guernsey already has billionaires sharing the same 25 square miles as 1,000 islanders without secure housing. If we fail to act, AI could rip open this gulf in wealth inequality. These problems can no longer be treated as hypothetical – they demand urgent answers.
AI already plays a central role in the lives of students and young professionals. As a former legal adviser to university students, I have seen this first-hand. Yet, our government remains largely disconnected from those most affected by this shift. If the States truly listened to younger islanders – or better yet, included some of them – it would have a stronger grasp of this technological era and a greater stake in tackling its challenges.
I am encouraged that some young islanders have already committed to standing in June’s election. The States has no deputy of, or under, the age of 35, leaving well over 20,000 islanders without direct representation. As proven by successful businesses, teams that bring a genuine diversity of perspectives tend to be better problem-solvers. It should come as no surprise that the States boasts a narrow range of perspectives and no shortage of problems.
Beyond younger deputies, the past four years have shown we need a higher standard of representation in the States. Achieving this requires us to demand more from our candidates. It’s all too easy to offer or withhold support based solely on a candidate’s stance on GST – a simple yes or no answer. But Guernsey faces problems that will long outlive the tax debate. We need candidates whose ideas don’t stop at tax reform but extend into their vision for the future. For example, what is their plan to keep young people in Guernsey? How will they ensure Guernsey’s economy can adapt to AI rather than suffer from it? Will they commit to meaningful engagement with the full spectrum of our community, not just during their campaigns but throughout their term?
Ultimately, today’s inaction is tomorrow’s fiscal burden. The States’ chronic under-investment in infrastructure is perhaps the best evidence of our failure in forward thinking. We now have an enormous backlog of neglected projects. While our young people are leaving, the chickens are coming home to roost – and that political poultry has a price tag eclipsing £1bn. The lesson? It costs far more to invest late than it does early. The same will ring true for our future generations.
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