Cruise Industry Recruitment Drive Results in 3,609 Jamaicans Being Employed

The recent cruise industry recruitment exercise has, so far, resulted in the employment of 3,609 Jamaicans.

Providing an update on the exercise in the House of Representatives on July 26, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said additional information will be provided once the data has been tabulated.

“The process is continuing, as the final selection is being carried through by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and it is anticipated that we will have in excess of 5,000 Jamaicans employed when the process is over,” he said.

He informed that another drive will be held later in the year to meet the target of 10,000 Jamaican workers.

“There is also another call which is being made for another round in September to November this year, and so we will, in the process, get as close to the target as is possible,” he said.

Minister Bartlett argued that the recruitment drive comes at a time when the cruise sector and tourism by extension are showing signs of growth and is a telling indicator that Jamaican workers are viewed positively on the global stage.

“This is a great statement for not only the work that the Government is doing in terms of the recovery but, in fact, it is the confidence that the international marketplace has, and particularly international companies, in the quality and the ability of the Jamaican worker… and their general work ethic. People feel that Jamaicans have hospitality in their DNA… . Jamaican workers are sought after,” he said.

For the recruitment, Jamaicans need to be literate and numerate, have a clean police record and a clean bill of health. They should also not reside on the north coast.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of tourism activities worldwide has resulted in a reduction in the number of persons employed in the sector.

The recruitment drive commenced on July 8.