Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister is not the first holder of his portfolio to come under fire over work permits and he won't be the last, regardless of which party wins the General Election.

It is one of the most complex and sensitive issues that any Cabinet Minister must deal with and no one to date has come up with a policy that satisfies everyone.

That's because the issues touches on questions of job security, business survival, prospects for advancement, and, perhaps most importantly, how people see themselves and their abilities.

Most people recognise the gap between the number of jobs available and the number of Bermudians available to fill them. In 2001, there were 36,597 jobs of which 27,952 were held by Bermudians. That left more than 8,000 jobs which had to be filled from overseas.

The bigger questions concern what kinds of jobs Bermudians and non-Bermudians fill, the length of time they hold them and what opportunities there are for deserving Bermudians to advance.

There is enough anecdotal evidence around about about non-Bermudians deterring Bermudians from advancing and Bermudians and non-Bermudians being promoted beyond their level of competence to fill several books.

Some of the stories are probably true. Hiring and promotion has never been an exact science and probably never will be; but it is a truism that successful companies tend to be better at it than unsuccessful ones.

Government cannot be expected to be, and should not be, the final arbiter in deciding that the correct decisions are made. But the work permit policy, assuming it is working properly, should ensure fairness and should deter discrimination.

Non-Bermudians must renew their work permits. When the time for renewal of a job arises, Bermudians can apply, and, assuming they are qualified, should receive the position. Every non-Bermudian should be aware that this is the policy and should accept it, with its attendant job insecurity, when they come to the Island.

The Government's decision to implement work permit limits arises when a non-Bermudian works here for upwards of 15 to 20 years, may have a family and puts down roots, and then starts to demand more rights and security than an annual work permit can possibly guarantee.

The Government settled part of the problem by giving permanent residence status to long term residents. But it did not wish to create an ongoing situation where there would be a continuous stream of people seeking permanent residence, and, in theory, barring Bermudians from advancement.

Whether this fear is justified or not is debatable. According to the Census, there were 12,129 foreign-born non-Bermudians on the Island in 2000. Almost half, or 5,570, had been on the Island for less than five years, while another 2,303 had been here for between five and nine years.

That does not mean 7,800 non-Bermudians will be seeking permanent residence within the next 15 to 20 years. It means that most non-Bermudians come for a few years and then move on.

Hence, in 2000, there were 936 non-Bermudians who had been here between 15 and 19 years who may or may not seek some form of permanent residence; the equivalent of 1.5 percent of the total population and 1.9 percent of the Bermudian population.

These are not vast numbers and it's worth remembering that the Bermuda-born population grew by just one percent or 253 people between 1991 and 2000. As the Bermuda population ages and the economy grows, it may be that people who have been here for this period of time will provide value and stability to the economy and the Island's welfare.

Put another way, is it really sensible for Bermuda to send people away who have invested time and effort in Bermuda's well-being (and benefited from it, admittedly) and replace them with fly-by-nighters who are on the Island only to get what they can out of it without putting anything back, knowing they will have to leave in a short period of time?