More than 75 guest workers have gone home since Government started its moratorium on work permits in certain job categories and that number is expected to rise to almost 150 in the coming weeks.Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kim Wilson revealed the figures in the Senate yesterday and urged companies to take advantage of payroll tax relief for training Bermudians to help them fill the vacated posts.She added that the Ministry had also built a file of well qualified, Bermudians who had lost their jobs in international business and was working to help them find new posts.Senator Wilson also emphasised the importance of international business in job and wealth creation in the community, adding: “The Government will continue to work diligently to achieve the balance between the rights and aspirations of Bermudians to be employed in their own country and the genuine needs of the business community.”The work permit moratorium came in last year and applies to categories including landscaping, cleaning and kitchen porters.“During the period since the implementation of the moratorium, more than 75 work permits in these categories have reached term and have not been renewed,” Senator Wilson said. “This number is expected to swell to close to 150 in the coming weeks.“Notwithstanding the number of Bermudians seeking employment opportunities however, some employers are experiencing difficulty in attracting fully qualified and experienced Bermudians with the full range of skills to fill many of the newly vacant jobs,” Senator Wilson said.“That said, the Ministry is finding that many unemployed workers merely require an opportunity that incorporates an element of retraining to build on existing skills to address the gaps.”The Payroll Tax Relief Training Scheme was introduced in 2005. Ms Wilson revealed that ten companies were approved for the tax relief over the past two years and 43 Bermudians had received training as a result. The scheme waives payroll taxes applicable for trainees, for approved training programmes for up to 24 months.“I am obliged today, on behalf of all unemployed workers, to invite all employers, in the spirit of developing a sustainable workforce for Bermuda’s future, to take advantage of the payroll tax relief training scheme,” Sen. Wilson said.The scheme is “an excellent way for employers to realise some relief as they endeavour to train and/or retrain Bermudians in areas of industry where there is genuine need”, she added.“There is a healthy number of unemployed Bermudians with base-level skills that can be effectively reintegrated into the workforce where there is a will on the part of the employer.”Interested employers should submit their application form, together with an outline of their training programme, to the Officer of the Tax Commissioner.On international business, Sen Wilson said the sector provided 4,293 jobs last year; and when adding the jobs in support services such as banking, law and financial services, the number increased to more than 10,000.She also revealed a snapshot of the number of work permits in knowledge-based categories as of March 2011: 117 actuaries, 915 accountants, 128 lawyers, 189 underwriters and 158 IT and systems-related specialists.“In many cases these are leaders, senior managers and unit heads within various organisations,” Sen Wilson said. “These jobs create other jobs. Jobs for Bermudians.”Such guest workers “will continue to be vital to sustaining a large number of Bermudian jobs”, she added.“Without these guest workers, Bermuda’s economy would not have grown to its current level and our earning power and lifestyle would be much different.”She added that her Ministry was advocating on behalf of Bermudians who had been displaced as a result of the economic pressure on companies top “right size”.“A file is being compiled with the details of highly qualified and experienced Bermudians with significant levels of international business experience who have been displaced and need to be reintegrated into the sector,” Sen Wilson said.“I have personally met with several of these persons to learn of their challenges. Our plan is to work with industry to ensure that these persons are provided with opportunities to compete for new jobs in the sector. These jobs will be realised as a result of the collective efforts of Government and industry to stimulate growth of the industry.”