Jamaica Committed To Productive Employment And Decent Work

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Karl Samuda, has given Jamaica’s commitment to ensuring that productive employment and decent work are at the centre of the country’s economic and social policies.

The Minister, who was addressing the recent virtual 110th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), noted that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on Jamaica, and indeed, the entire Caribbean, resulting in loss of lives, business closures, disruption in trade, and increased unemployment.

“Our pursuit of the Decent Work Agenda has been threatened. However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” he pointed out.

He told the ILC that the Government has moved to minimise the impact of the pandemic on businesses and the lives of Jamaicans, with $10 billion spent on implementing a social and economic support initiative called the COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Programme, which provided assistance to vulnerable individuals and small enterprises.

“It incentivised employers in targeted sectors to retain their employees on their payrolls. Economic support was also provided for the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups,” Minister Samuda said.

He further cited the provision of tax credits to micro, small and medium-sized entities, resulting in the return of one billion dollars to employers.

Minister Samuda said that prior to the pandemic, Jamaica was on the right economic trajectory, with an unemployment rate of 7.3 per cent in January 2020, which was the lowest recorded in several years.

However, following the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, the rate of unemployment increased dramatically to 12.6 per cent, and by July 2020, the economy had contracted by 10 per cent.

These developments, he said, were due mainly to the reduction in trade, and the fallout in tourism, entertainment, business process outsourcing, and other service sectors.

Minister Samuda told the conference that businesses were encouraged to utilise flexible work-week arrangements and technology to restore productivity and to keep persons employed.

In addition, a COVID-19 Labour Market Task Force was established to examine the impact of the pandemic on workers and employers and to provide recommendations for labour market resilience.

“The country has begun to see signs of recovery. The global services industry, the largest provider of youth employment, is on the rebound. The manufacturing sector has begun to show growth, and the construction industry is on the rise, resulting in the establishment of an estimated 3,000 new companies,” Minister Samuda said.

The ILC, held from May 27 to June 11, brought together representatives of governments, workers, and employers from 187 International Labour Organization (ILO) member states to discuss world of work issues.

This year, occupational safety and health , apprenticeships, decent work as well as the social and solidarity economy, were among the items on the conference agenda.