Guest workers are “team mates,’ a top businessman stressed during a public debate on the economy.The forum, on Thursday, heard numerous complaints aired by Bermudians who feel excluded from local jobs and would like to see fewer expatriates on the Island.Addressing the event, which was hosted by Government in tandem with private businesses, Gil Tucker, Country Managing Partner of accounting firm Ernst and Young, said: “No one is talking about abandoning protection for Bermudians. Every citizen has to feel they have got access to jobs in their own country.”His remark prompted a murmur of “Amen” to circulate among the audience. However, he went on to caution Bermudians not to be hostile to guest workers.“We are a flyweight population trying to support a heavyweight economy,” he said, pointing out that there are only around 27,000 Bermudians in the workforce and the birth-rate is flat or declining.His 200-person office has 24 nationalities represented, and Mr Tucker described guest workers as “team mates,” going on to scotch what he described as “some myths”.“Expats in the past were brought here to do jobs that many Bermudians, based on the colour of their skin, were not allowed to do,” he pointed out, citing shop-tellers and bank-tellers as examples.“The expats of today are different and we need to sever that in our minds. They come to help us stimulate the economy. When we send them back, we have less people spending in the economy.”He stressed that “limiting the length of time guest workers can remain makes Bermuda a less attractive place to work”. For that reason, he lauded the idea of ten year work permits, which have recently been introduced by Government for some senior non-Bermudian key workers.“Bermuda has a brighter future than our past,” he concluded. “We come from a protectionist environment for the last 400 years. We have a very bright future, but that future depends on the decisions we make.”The forum, called ‘The Great Debate: You and the Economy’, was held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. More than 200 people crammed into the room to listen to speakers including Economy Minister Kim Wilson.At the meeting, Terry Pimentel, President of insurance company Arch Bermuda, shared statistics demonstrating how 85 cents in each dollar of Bermuda’s foreign revenue last year came from international business (IB). One in three people on the Island is employed in IB or related jobs.Chris Furbert, president of the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), said there are currently 38,000 jobs available and only 27,000 Bermudians in the workforce to fill them; hence the need for guest workers.However, he said the number of guest workers has risen from around 7,000 to 12,000 since 1994, leaving Bermudians feeling “displaced” by guest workers.There has been a 24 percent decline in jobs in manufacturing, and an 87 percent increase in construction jobs. Meanwhile the membership of the hotel division of the BIU has dropped from 3,500 in the early 90s to 1,500 today.Mr Furbert said the shift in workforce patterns has “highlighted the need for education and training of Bermudians to compete in a global environment”.John Harvey, CEO of the Bermuda Hotel Association and Hotel Employers of Bermuda said the Island is competing in a global tourism marketplace and must “up our product”.He called innovations such as year-round hotel events and a convention centre. He added: “I know it’s going to be a bit controversial, but let’s rock ‘n’ roll anyway; one (idea) is gaming.”–Later, a straw-poll conducted by event moderator Glenn Jones suggested around half of the 200-plus audience members supported some form of gaming in Bermuda.The presentations and subsequent question and answer session will be aired in their entirety on Government’s CITV television channel next week. CITV can be found on CableVision channel two and WOW channel 102. Check listings for details.