The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) is now accepting online payments for work permits as it moves closer towards rolling out a new web-based work permit system by 2022. The new system is being implemented as part of the public-sector transformation programme aimed at improving efficiency across the public service. The programme is being spearheaded by the Transformation...

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) January 2021 Labour Force Survey (LFS) is showing increased employment for the construction industry and the ‘professionals, senior officials and technicians’ occupational group. Details of the findings were outlined by Director General, Carol Coy, during the Institute’s digital quarterly briefing on Thursday (April 15). Ms. Coy advised that the number of persons employed in...

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting that the total number of employed persons in January 2021 was 1,194,800. The number is 74,300 or 5.9 per cent lower than the 1,269,100 persons employed for the corresponding month last year, said the entity’s Director General, Carol Coy. She was providing details about the January 2021 Labour Force Survey, during STATIN’s...

It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that workers are concerned by memos purportedly issued by employers mandating that they be vaccinated or otherwise be asked to resign. While the Ministry of Health and Wellness is encouraging persons to be vaccinated against the Covid 19 virus, vaccination remains a personal choice. The Ministry...

With nearly 70 per cent of the country’s population falling within the working-age cohort of 15-64 years as at 2018, Director for Policy Research at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Suzette Johnson, says that there is opportunity to boost the country’s productivity in order to further improve economic growth. She was speaking at the virtual launch of the 2018...

This is to advise that the Ministry’s St. Mary Parish Office at 51 Stennett Street, Port Maria, St. Mary will be closed to the public on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. This closure is to facilitate a comprehensive sanitization exercise. The office will be re-opened for business on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. The Ministry apologises for the inconvenience...

The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) has expanded its Meals on Wheels feeding programme to several rural communities. Under the programme, cooked meals are provided for the elderly and shut-ins during the week and food packages on public holidays. Persons are able to benefit from the provisions based on the extent of their needs. Meals were initially provided to...