Unmarried couples will have to prove they have been in a long-term relationship of at least two years to benefit from the same employment rights.

It's part of an amendment to the Control of Housing and Work Law.

Currently, the regulation only allows partners who are married, or in a civil partnership, to share their entitled status, while unmarried partners will receive a 'registered' status in their first five years on the island.

Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore, says there will be protections to stop the scheme from being exploited.

"There will be an application process and certain documents will need to be provided to provided they are in an established relationship.

This will hopefully remove barriers to employment for some people who meet a Jersey person while they're living elsewhere and want to return to the island with their partner."

The island's recruitment and retention issues are well documented and affect many sectors including education, health, construction and hospitality.

But Deputy Moore believes that the Control of Housing and Work Law is still fit for purpose.

"The regulation has levers we can use and as a government, we are exploring how we can use those to make changes that will benefit members of our community who may need greater access to housing.

We have already done that for care workers and we are looking at other groups who might now benefit from an easing of the rules."

The changes will not bring any changes for those who come to Jersey alone.

The amendment is due to be debated in May, and if passed, will come in to force a week later.