The issue of accessibility for the disabled will be the focus for Disabilities Awareness Week 2023, which will be observed from December 3 to 8 under the theme ‘Inclusion in Action: Building Accessible Communities’. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Dr. Christine Hendricks, said that “accessibility for persons...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr, says labour productivity is key to driving transformative growth and ensuring Jamaica’s sustainable development. Addressing the HEART/NSTA Trust’s Sub-Regional Summit 2023 at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston on Thursday (November 23), the Minister said he believes in a people-centred approach to driving productivity, which “places individuals at the core...

Residents of Lionel Town in Clarendon patiently wait to access government services at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s mobile unit during Thursday’s (November 23) Social Intervention Fair at the Pawsey Park Community Centre.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security continues to institute safeguards to ensure Jamaica develops an inclusive, robust, and reliable labour market. In line with the Government’s thrust to further lower the country’s record unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent, one of the many tools being used to link eligible workers with job vacancies is the staging of job fairs....

The Government is providing relief assistance, as assessments continue to determine the full impact of the severe weather system, which affected the island on November 16 and 17. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr, who was speaking during a tour of communities in East Rural St. Andrew on Saturday (Nov.18), said that supplies have been delivered...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is reporting that work continues in earnest to reach persons being targeted for the Government’s Social Pension Programme. The programme, which officially came on stream in 2021, is geared towards Jamaican citizens 75 years and older who are not currently in receipt of a pension (overseas or local) or any other retirement, old-age...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says the earthquake that shook sections of Jamaica on October 30 has emphasised the need for stronger social security systems throughout the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The quake, which measured 5.6 on the Richter scale, affected some nine parishes causing minor structural damage. Mr. Charles said the earthquake served as a...

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) will host sensitisation sessions on Disability Assessment in Jamaica, on November 1 and 2. This will be done in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), at UWI Regional Headquarters, Kingston, and Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, respectively. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) commissioned a study to assess the...

The Government is assuring that the “significant” reform of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) will result in greater benefits to its clients. According to Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., an evaluation of the programme is under way, looking at how it has worked over the years, how it is working now,...