Call for strategy to bring young Islanders home

A STRATEGY to help young Islanders return to Jersey after university should form part of the government’s priorities for the next four years, a backbench politician has proposed.

Deputy Lee Carpenter has lodged an amendment to the Common Strategic Policy for 2026–2030 calling for ministers to maintain contact with students during their studies and help them access affordable housing and graduate career opportunities when they return.

In the accompanying report, the St Helier Central representative cited Policy Centre Jersey research indicating that nearly 60% of Islanders studying in the UK would not return after graduating.

The report identifies housing and living costs as barriers. It puts Jersey’s cost of living at approximately 20% higher than the UK and highlights that the average one-bedroom flat in the Island cost £326,000 in the second quarter of 2026 – compared with an average UK house price of £272,000.

Deputy Carpenter argued that encouraging graduates to return home would also help address the pressures of an ageing population, with a greater need for health and social care alongside a shrinking proportion of working-age residents funding services through taxation.

The report cited Statistics Jersey findings that, if the population remains the same, the working-age population will decline by more than 10% by 2040.

“It is not realistic to expect all graduates to return, and this amendment does not suggest otherwise,” said Deputy Carpenter.

“However, if we can encourage even a small proportion of those who would otherwise not come back, the cumulative benefit to our workforce, our economy, our public finances and our island would be meaningful.”

The Reform Jersey deputy argued that the government currently does “very little” to support this group.

“As an island we pay for our children’s education, we encourage and prepare them for university, and then we do nothing to encourage them to return,” he added.

The amendment would commit ministers to developing a strategy, with costs dependent on the measures subsequently proposed.