Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is working to quickly resolve issues relating to the 2017/19 public sector wage negotiations. He noted that while it was not expected that unions and other stakeholders would immediately accept the offer put forward by the Government, the negotiations have not been progressing at a reasonable pace. “There will always...

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, says Jamaica is “setting standards” in the collaborative approach being taken in implementing the economic reform programme. “For the last seven years as Managing Director of the IMF, I have seen many programmes, and I have attended many reviews of programmes at the Board. But, I have never seen a...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has underscored the need for Caribbean governments to be more disciplined in implementing policies that can generate higher levels of sustainable economic growth. “We have chosen policies that have increased our debt (and) are more aligned with short-term consumption. We have brought on ourselves a literal catastrophe, which has made us now have...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the economic and structural reforms being undertaken by the Government are delivering real jobs for Jamaicans. He said the increase in employment over the last two quarters has been “fantastic” and “in the closing quarter we will be seeing (even) more jobs”. The Prime Minister was contributing to a debate on the...

Prime Minister, the Most Andrew Holness, is calling for the strengthening of relations between CARICOM member states and non-English-speaking countries across the Caribbean and Latin America. He was speaking at the closing panel discussion on ‘Challenges and Opportunities in the Caribbean’ at the sixth International Monetary Fund (IMF) High Level Caribbean Forum at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston...

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, is hailing the Government for its effort to improve Jamaica’s economic outlook. Mrs. Lagarde commended Jamaica for stabilising the macroeconomic climate, reducing its debt levels, setting fiscal precedence for the rest of the region and increasing the rate of employment. “The resolve of the Jamaican authorities... has been critically important to arrive...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says he is expecting Jamaica to have an improved ranking in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report for next year. For the Doing Business Report 2018, Jamaica has fallen to 70th position, down from a ranking of 67th. Addressing the Sixth International Monetary Fund (IMF) High Level Caribbean Forum held at The Jamaica...