Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (second left), listens to United States Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency, Noah Nick Perry (second right), during a meeting at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle offices in downtown Kingston on December 19. The Minister engaged Mr. Perry in discussions surrounding labour and social security matters. Looking on (from left) are Permanent...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government’s priority is to deal with violence, crime and public order as a national security risk. “Anything that weakens the ability of the State to exercise its sovereignty and give a security guarantee to its citizens is a national security threat. When we elevate it to this level, it is quite...

Bank of Jamaica’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), at its meetings on 18 and 19 December 2023, unanimously agreed to maintain: (i) the policy interest rate (the rate offered to deposit-taking institutions (DTIs) on overnight placements with Bank of Jamaica) at 7.0 per cent, (ii) tight Jamaican dollar liquidity conditions, and (iii) relative stability in the foreign exchange market. Jamaica’s annual...

At its meetings on 18 and 19 December 2023, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted the following: 1.      Jamaica’s annual headline inflation rate at November 2023 of 6.3 per cent, which was outside the Bank’s target range of 4.0 to 6.0 per cent, was above the 5.1 per cent recorded at October 2023 but was much lower than the peak rate...

Jamaica is now either fully or partially compliant with 37 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 40 Recommendations. The recommendations constitute the international standards by which jurisdictions’ preventative measures to combat the risks posed by criminals to launder the proceeds of crime and finance terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are assessed. Providing the update in the...

Consumers are being encouraged to strategise and reduce their use of cash during the holiday season and even beyond. The advice comes from the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC), in light of an increase in complaints of challenges in accessing cash at automated banking machines (ABMs). Director of Communications, Latoya Halstead, told a JIS Think Tank on December 14 that those...

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, delivers the keynote address during the National Education Trust (NET) Employee Recognition and Awards Ceremony, held on December 19 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.