The country’s unemployment rate fell to a new record low 4.5 per cent in April 2023, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) Labour Force Survey for the period. This was 1.5 percentage points lower than the out-turn for the corresponding timeline in 2022, Director General, Carol Coy, indicated. Speaking during STATIN’s quarterly digital media briefing on Tuesday (August...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (left), receives a framed collection of the new series of banknotes from Governor, Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), Richard Byles. The BOJ Governor, along with other representatives from the Bank, visited King’s House on August 15.

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) through its Boosting Innovation Growth & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) on Friday, August 4, 2023, announced the launch of the Jamaica Business Fund (JBF), a grant funding product to enhance the development of the productive sector, by supporting high potential business alliances to compete in regional and global markets. Christopher Brown, Programme Manager, BIGEE explained,...

Recipients of the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship will be officially announced on August 17, at King’s House. The scholarship, which is administered by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, is available to citizens who are in the public sector who have attained undergraduate tertiary-level education. Now in its third year, the scholarship has been awarded to...

Government employees pursuing further studies are being encouraged to apply for Public Sector Education Grants. Applications for the 2023/24 academic year opened on July 10 and will close on August 31. The grants, which are valued up to $150,000, are also available for the children of public-sector workers. Director of Strategic Workforce Planning at the Ministry of Finance and the...

The Government is providing $3 million per constituency to support back-to-school initiatives. The funds will be made available through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). “That $3 million for back-to-school initiatives, per constituency, can only be used for book vouchers and for tuition support,” said Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke. He was speaking during...

The House of Representatives on Wednesday (July 19) approved the Second Supplementary Estimates for fiscal year 2023/24. The primary objective of the Estimates is to reallocate to individual Heads the required funds to enable payment of the compensation adjustments during the year. In December 2022, the Government commenced implementing the Public Sector Compensation Restructure, which is still under way. “The...

The Government will continue to implement measures aimed at increasing Jamaicans’ access to tertiary education financing. Addressing the launch of the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) revised Grant-In-Aid (GIA) Programme at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday (July 20), Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, said the aim is to increase enrolment...

The Government has agreed to provide Windalco with a two-year relief from the payment of the bauxite production levy, which will save the jobs of hundreds of Jamaicans. Jamaica will forego an estimated US$10 million in levy payments from the company over the period. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the announcement during...