The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting that the total number of persons who were employed at the end of January were 1,093,200, some 9,800 more than the corresponding period in 2012. The country’s labour force stood at approximately 1,274,800 at the end of January 2013, an increase of 14,200 persons over last year. Director General of the PIOJ,...

Cabinet has given approval for the newly amended Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act, (TIP ACT) to be tabled in the Houses of Parliament. Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, made the disclosure at the weekly Jamaica House press briefing on Wednesday, May 22. She noted that the TIP Act was enacted in 2007...

Planning for Labour Day 2013 is on in earnest in St. James, with approximately 41 projects already registered with the parish committee. The renovation of the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay has been selected as the parish project. The work is estimated to cost $4.3 million and includes refurbishing of vendors stalls, repair and painting of walls, patching and...

A photograph, thought to be only the second original picture of Mary Seacole, was displayed at a panel discussion on May 14, hosted by the High Commission in London, to commemorate the life of the Jamaican-born Crimean War Heroine. The photograph is contained in a scrap book, which was found in one of the libraries of the prestigious Winchester College...

Veteran librarian, public servant, and administrator, Dr. the Hon. Joyce Robinson, OJ, CD, MBE will be accorded an official funeral by the Government of Jamaica. The service will take place on Friday, May 31 at the UWI Mona Chapel starting at 11.00 a.m. Dr. Robinson, who died on Sunday, May 12, was the first Jamaican to head the Jamaica Library...

The Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (MSME) and Entrepreneurship Policy, which provides a comprehensive, targeted and coherent framework to support the sector, is now before Parliament for its deliberations. Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, said the policy, which was approved by Cabinet, also seeks to position businesses to benefit from opportunities which are expected to come from...

Senior citizens 60 years and older, suffering from chronic illnesses, are given special treatment by the Government, with free medication supplied through the Jamaica Drugs for the Elderly Programme (JADEP), which was established in 1996 by the Ministry of Health. JADEP was initiated by the Government as part of ongoing efforts to provide a basket of pharmaceuticals to treat specific...