Around five percent of job advertisements that accompany an application for a work permit at the Department of Immigration are rejected because of excessive work experience requirements.

Assistant Chief Immigration Officer Rozy Azhar said one of the reasons for this was to intentionally tailor the job to the qualifications and experience of the person the employers intend to hire.

"Of the applications that are received by the Department, approximately five percent of the advertisements are rejected and the employer is requested to re-advertise the position," Ms Azhar said.

The assistant chief immigration officer also said other reasons may include an employer's lack of knowledge of what was the norm for a particular job category or an employer using the qualifications of the person who was already in the job or just left.

Ms Azhar added: "Or, in the case of an application for a work permit, the qualifications of the applicant for the work permit, without realising that in all of these instances the qualifications exceed the norm for that job category."

Ms Azhar was also asked whether asking five years experience for a bartending job was considered excessive as two employers ? Mid-Atlantic Boat and Sports Club and M.R. Onions ? advertised for full time bartender and full/part time waiters positions on Wednesday and Tuesday that asked for five years and two years experience respectively.

"I would be loathe to comment on advertisements under the assumption that they are applying for work permits, particularly as in the case that you cited, the company (Mid-Atlantic) has never held a work permit," she said. "However if a company submitted an application to the Department of Immigration with an advertisement asking for five years experience for a bartender, we would consider that period excessive.

"However, in some instances, a request for two years experience for a waiter is not excessive depending on the type of service that the restaurant offers to its customers."

Bar chairman at the Mid-Atlantic Boat and Sports Club Terry Trott said he asked for five-years experience because his membership of over 100 people preferred older bartenders.

"Right now we have got one young and one middle age bartender," he said. "They are all Bermudians."

Mr. Trott admitted that asking for five years "seems kind of high" but that five people had already applied for the position and not having the relevant experience would not stop them from getting hired.

"We are not trying to exclude Bermudians," he said. "The main reason was if you get someone who has worked part time for a year or two, they don't know how to make too many drinks."

The Mid-Atlantic bar chairman also said younger bartenders often brought a "younger crowd" to an establishment which "sometimes brings trouble" and "acting up".

M.R. Onions manager Philip Talbot said he always asked for two years experience for a waiters position as Immigration required it. "Two years is a basic knowledge of the job," he said.