The Fiji National Provident Fund recorded an increase in new registered members for the period from 2006 to 2007.

In its annual report for 2007, the fund recorded an increase of 3.75% in new members.

A total of 17,131 new members were registered bringing the total number of FNPF members to 343,453.

The report also stated that a majority of the new members registered in 2007 were students.

This was due to the Voluntary Membership Scheme, which is where those who are self-employed, and above the age of 16 years and under 50 years can become members of the fund.

The Voluntary Scheme registered 2,333 new members.

Meanwhile, there was a drop in the registration of new employers for the same period.

It stated that there were 694 new employers registered in 2007 compared to 810 in 2006, bringing the total number of registered employers to 6,647.

It goes on to say that the drop in registered number of new employers, is due to the decline in new businesses.