From Foreign Labour Dependency to Sustainable Workforce Localisation: a Structured Integrative Review and Six-Pillar Framework for the Maldives Tourism Industry
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Abstract
Although tourism is key to the Maldivian economy, it does not provide much employment for the locals. In fact, much of the employment at resorts depends on foreign labour. This article investigates the continuing reliance and how workforce localisation can be implemented without compromising service quality, productivity, or tourism competitiveness. A methodical integrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed literature on Maldivian tourism, workforce localisation, migrant labour, hospitality employment, and human capital development, drawn from DOI-verified sources. The review was supplemented with recent evidence from Maldivian government institutions (e.g., Ministry of Youth and Sports; Ministry of Economic Development; Ministry of Tourism) and worldwide organisations (e.g., International Organisation for Migration; United Nations Development Programme). This review is an explicitly integrative review rather than a PRISMA systematic review; that is, analytical relevance, source quality, and contextual transferability are prioritised over claims of exhaustive database coverage. The synthesis identifies six interdependent conditions that influence localisation: workforce planning; skills development; employer readiness; employment attractiveness; inclusive participation; and responsible foreign labour. The above conditions create a six-pillar framework that redefines the meaning of localisation from replacing expatriates with numbers to progressively developing domestic capacity. According to the Analysis, six pillars should not be separate policy initiatives but rather, digitalisation, productivity improvements, mentoring and succession planning should work across them. This article offers a Maldives-specific conceptual framework that connects the development of human capital, organisations' reliance on external labour, institutional coordination, and labour market incentives. The report suggests that performance against localisation should be assessed against a set of benchmarks: retention, occupational progression, leadership succession, gender and youth participation, competency development and productivity, and the local share of employment
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