Labour Minister Urges Persons to Be Cautious When Pursuing Overseas Job Opportunities

Although the Government has successfully reduced the number of employment agencies operating illegally on the island, the Labour and Social Security Ministry is still urging jobseekers to exercise due diligence to avoid employment scams.

The caution was given by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., during a post-sectoral press briefing at the Ministry’s offices, on May 14.

He explained that while the Ministry’s Employment Agency Unit does its part by monitoring private employment agencies that send Jamaicans overseas for work and maintaining an updated list of licensed entities to ensure the safety of Jamaicans, citizens must be cautious.

“We work with law enforcement, embassies and through public outreach to make sure that we can provide information to the public where you have scams. And I say so because there are several times when we are observing, particularly on social media, many agencies that are not licensed, that are not monitored under our Employment Agency Unit, and that have never registered themselves with us,” the Minister said.

“And those agencies inevitably are operating with the objective of not taking you from Jamaica to employment overseas, but taking your money from you to their pocket,” he added.

The Minister reiterated that having identified the issue, Government has been collaborating with the private sector to monitor employment agencies, thereby protecting Jamaicans as much as possible.

“Through those partnerships, we were able to reduce the illegally operating agencies, from what we saw from our observations to be 93, down to now 49, and we are looking to get that down to zero,” Mr. Charles Jr. committed.

He further encouraged jobseekers to visit the Ministry’s website and social media platforms, in addition to calling or visiting the Ministry to verify information regarding overseas job postings.

“The Ministry urges agencies to remain compliant to protect job opportunities, and we continue to warn persons to be vigilant. Be vigilant, be aware, be alert, and ensure that you consult our approved list to verify the credibility of job opportunities that are being advertised,” the Minister urged.