The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is reporting that the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) currently caters to almost 150,000 pensioners living in Jamaica and overseas. Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Audrey Deer-Williams, made the disclosure during an interview on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme ‘Get the Facts’. “We have approximately 136,000 pensioners locally and another 12,000...

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. says the Ministry will be strengthening programmes to reach the most vulnerable Jamaicans, including the disabled and the elderly. Speaking to JIS News at the swearing-in of Cabinet Ministers at King’s House on Wednesday (September 17), the Minister said there will be strategic focus on reviewing and enhancing the Programme of...

Beverly Been of St. Andrew has been crowned the 2025 National Senior Spelling Bee champion. She topped the field of contestants during the competition’s staging on Wednesday (September 17) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, walking away with a cash prize of $50,000, a tablet computer and smartphone with credit, gift baskets, and a trophy. Placing second was...

Jamaica’s capacity to identify and support children with autism has been bolstered by a groundbreaking three-year training initiative that continued into its second phase at the St. Ann's Bay Regional Hospital in St. Ann, on Wednesday, September 10. Dubbed the Autism and Developmental Needs Skills Training for Caregivers and Families, the programme will create a core of 10 master trainers...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Audrey Deer-Williams, has called on senior citizens to remain active, engaged, and purposeful as the nation celebrates Senior Citizens’ Month. Speaking at the National Senior Citizens’ Month Church Service, held on Sunday (September 7) at the Calvary Baptist Church in St. James, she paid tribute to the island’s seniors...

Persons with disabilities now have easier access to government services and learning materials through a mobile application developed with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica. The ‘I Am Able – My JCPD’ app, developed in partnership with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), enables persons with disabilities to access routine services such as registration, grant...

State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, has underscored the value and resilience of the elderly population. At the launch of Senior Citizens Month 2025 (September), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on August 29, Dr. Dunn described senior citizens as “living national treasures, the steadfast pillars on whom Jamaica's...