Groundbreaking, novel and a game changer are some of the words that have been used to describe the launch of the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Inclusive Growth Index Framework (IGIF). Developed over a six-year period, the IGIF is the first of its kind and was undertaken through funding from the World Bank via the Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth Project....

The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) is moving to make the use of contactless clearance by clients compulsory over the coming months. Contactless clearance is the process by which Customs conducts inspections of non-commercial cargo with a Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of under US$5,000, without the importer or agent needing to be present for the exercise. Project Manager, Kingsley...

Leading the process of change is a passion for Maria Thompson Walters, who heads the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU). As such, it is no surprise that she puts her all into ensuring that the TIU achieves its mandate of implementing projects to achieve a modern public service that is efficient and effective and delivers high-quality services. She tells JIS News...

Hailing from a small farming community in St. Andrew East Rural, Julia Bonner Douett always knew that her passion would, one day, lead to much success. The current Director of Standards at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), Mrs. Bonner Douett will grace the stage at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony, on October 16, to be pinned with a...

Flexible work arrangements, or flexi-week, refers to a variable work schedule that affords employees and employers the opportunity to organise the traditional 40-hour workweek as it best suits their needs. The Employment (Flexible Work Arrangements) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which was passed in 2014, paved the way for the introduction of this system. Divisional Director for Industrial Relations and Allied Services,...

Female workers have been leading their male counterparts in the out-turns recorded in several areas of notable improvements fuelling Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 employment resurgence. The country’s spiralling employment rate, expanding workforce and rapidly plunging unemployment rate have been largely attributed to significantly increased female out-turns. Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) April 2023 Labour Force Survey show that despite...

Jamaica possesses the necessary ingredients to emerge as a nearshore manufacturing powerhouse, with its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Regime playing a pivotal role in the process. SEZs are designated geographic areas designed to attract local and foreign investments, offering unique fiscal incentives distinct from the rest of the country. In an interview with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer (Interim) at...

Local investors and manufacturers, particularly those in agro-processing, are being encouraged to capitalise on the benefits to be derived from the recently launched hot pepper value chain project. The initiative, titled ‘Improving Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access Opportunities along the Hot Pepper Value Chain in Jamaica’, evolved from a strategic collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization...