Malaita has long been regarded as main suppliers of laborers since the colonial days, the City Council Mayor, Alfred Maetia states.
The statement was made in meetings held with the Malaita Provincial Government during the Honiara City Council Executive's 5 days visit to the province.Mr. Maetia told the provincial authorities that people from Malaita have been employed in great numbers in both government and private sectors.
"The trend is still continuing [and] it has retarded development around Malaita," said Mr. Maetia.
He said that common people from the province have expressed concerns on the lack of development on Malaita.
Mr. Maetia said that despite many criticisms leveled on Malaita influence and domination, "labour supply will always be the feature of Malaita".
"There is a need to approach the issue in a more specialized manner, the labour force needs to be highly organised so that it can become market oriented," the Honiara Mayor said.
Mr. Maetia reasoned that the province will then be able to negotiate contracting labour force to other countries as well as local multinational corporations working in the Solomon Islands.
The money, in return, will be remitted in the hands of Malaita Province to boost the economic development and raise rural standard of living, he said.