An MHK is set to press the Chief Minister over what he says is a long-standing issue preventing some Isle of Man residents from accessing remote jobs with major international companies.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse will raise the matter in this week's Tynwald, asking what action is being taken to ensure the Isle of Man is recognised as a supported territory by major Employer of Record (EOR) providers such as Remote.com and Deel.

The issue has been raised frequently by island residents in recent years and has also affected people hoping to sell products through platforms such as Etsy or generate income via TikTok, where the island is not always recognised as a supported location.

Mr Moorhouse said he first raised the issue with the Department for Enterprise around 18 months ago but believes little progress has been made.

He said one constituent had highlighted the scale of the problem after losing three remote job opportunities, including a role with Spotify, because the island was not supported by the EOR providers used by employers.

The constituent also reached the final stage of recruitment with European technology firm n8n before the offer fell through because its employment platform did not cover the island.

Mr Moorhouse said: ‘The government has rightly identified population growth as a strategic priority. Remote working is one of the most powerful levers available to achieve that – it allows people to live here, spend here and pay tax here, while working for companies anywhere in the world.

‘But that opportunity is being quietly undermined by this gap in EOR coverage.’

Among the questions Mr Moorhouse intends to ask are whether a government officer has been tasked with resolving the issue, whether officials have engaged directly with providers such as Remote.com and Deel, and what assessment has been made of the number of remote workers living on the island and the contribution they make to the economy.