IMMIGRATION and inflationary wage increases are not inevitable side-effects as the Island strives for economic growth, business leaders have been told.

One of Microsoft’s most senior financial services experts said that Jersey could overcome the problems of having a limited pool of workers through technology.

James Burns said that companies simply had to make their existing IT systems work better together to solve some of the Island’s most pressing political and economic issues.

He explained that companies in many countries had historically ‘thrown staff’ at problems rather than seeking to work more efficiently, but that was not possible in the Island.

‘The problems in Jersey are heavily magnified because of the staff situation,’ said Mr Burns.

‘Problems are magnified because people cannot throw staff at them.

Some companies are aware of the possible solution and some are not.

A lot of our strategy is to really enable people to be much more efficient at doing their day-to-day job.