Beginning June 5, 10,000 Jamaicans will be recruited to work on cruise ships overseas, says Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. Mr. Bartlett, who was speaking to reporters following a function at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on May 27, said the massive recruitment drive comes at a time when the cruise sector and tourism, by extension, are showing signs...

Exhaust emission analysers will be incorporated in the operations of the Island Traffic Authority (ITA). The commissioning of the devices was done on Wednesday (June 1), at the Harbour View Examination Depot in Kingston, by Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Audley Shaw. They are used to measure exhaust gases caused by combustion and give readings about their content. Devices...

Over 50 small farmers and other stakeholders in agriculture are participating in a training session on sustainable family farming from June 1-2. The ‘Strengthening the Capacity of Farmers’ Organizations to Promote Sustainable Family Farming’ national stakeholder workshop is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Other...

Five of the six service industry subsectors recorded positive out-turns to drive Jamaica’s estimated growth of six per cent for the January to March 2022 quarter. Leading the way was ‘Hotels and Restaurants’, which, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), increased by an impressive 105.7 per cent. This contributed significantly to the services industry recording an 8.9 per...

Professor Dale Webber, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, visited several universities in the USA last week to explore expanded collaboration in research and exchange programmes. He placed particular focus on a group of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, to start the process of creating opportunities for Jamaican...

The economy is estimated to have grown by 8.1 per cent during fiscal year 2021/22, reports the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, said that the out-turn, which falls within the entity’s target range of seven to nine per cent, reflects improved performances in all goods producing and service industry subsectors, except mining and quarrying, which...

Some $1.5 billion will be spent on the construction and upgrading of police facilities in financial year 2022/23. Minister of National Security and Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2022/23 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on June 1. Of the total expenditure, the Ministry is targeting the renovation of...