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The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) will be re-introducing the specially branded NI Gold cards during the coming year. These cards will be printed by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EoJ), and will include the pensioners' photographs so that they can also be used for identification purposes. "We will be going back to partnering with the EoJ in doing these cards...

A total 247 Jamaicans were placed in jobs over the three-month period April to June 2010 through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security's Labour Market Information System (LMIS). In addition, 584 job vacancies were posted on the online job search and placement facility and 1,031 persons were referred for proper training. The system attracted 2,177 job seekers over the...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has reported an increase of more than 21, 000 new jobs between April and July 2010, indicating economic recovery. Director General of the PIOJ, Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, said the increase was due largely to increased employment in the wholesale and retail sector, which went up by 12, 900 persons, and transport, storage and communications,...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles, is insisting on better cooperation and more discussion on consensus between employers and employees. This will create a better work environment and a better labour force, as employers alone cannot handle decisions at the workplace, Mr. Charles told the opening ceremony of the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ) at...

A total of 620 young people in four rural parishes have been equipped with skills to earn a sustainable living under the Rural Youth Employment Project (RYEP). Project Manager for the Rural Youth Employment Project (RYEP), Michael Matthews, emphasises the benefits of the programme during an interview with JIS News. The US$1.25 million project, launched in March this year, targets...

Scores of senior citizens participated in a day of fun-filled activities at the St. Andrew Parish Church Hall in Kingston, on Thursday (October 21) in celebration of Senior Citizens' Appreciation Day. The packed church hall, filled mainly with women, saw entertainment by the Jamaica Military Band and a fashion show dubbed "Fashion Show of Yester Year; 50s, 60s and 70s"....

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon Pearnel Charles, has reiterated that the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) does not cater to able-bodied persons in the economically active age group. Mr. Charles told Parliament Tuesday (October 12), that there appears to be some misunderstanding about the categories of persons able to enroll. He stated that the programme...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles, has said that prospects are "extremely encouraging" for the various overseas employment programmes for the 2010/11 financial year. "Already, we are witnessing an increase in the number of employment opportunities under the United States (US) Hospitality Programme. Many of the traditional employers are now experiencing an upturn in economic activities and...

The Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) is expected to achieve its goal of registering 360,000 beneficiaries within this financial year. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon Pearnel Charles, who made the announcement during his presentation in Parliament, Tuesday (Oct.12) in the 2010/11 Sectoral debate said, as of August, the number stood at 350,000, a 30 per...

Micro and small business owners from a number of inner city communities in Kingston and St. Andrew benefited from well-needed information and advice on effective marketing strategies to improve their businesses, during a workshop on Tuesday (October 12). The three-hour session, which was organised by the Churches Co-operative Credit Union (CCCU) in collaboration with the Citizen Security and Justice Programme...

The disparity in age at which male and female retirees qualify to receive National Insurance Scheme (NIS) benefits is being adjusted, Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles, has informed. Currently, females qualify to receive their NIS retirement benefit at age 60, while males qualify at 65 years old. "This anomaly has persisted for too long," Minister Charles said,...

The urgent need for Jamaica, and the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean, to start focusing on how to benefit from opportunities arising from the current global economic crisis, has been emphasized by Vice-President of GraceKennedy Money Services, Noel Greenland, Monday (October 11). UNI Americas, global trade union organization, representative, Joanne De Freitas, speaking to regional trade union leaders at a...