Labour Minister Announces Creation of National Skills Bank
By: , May 14, 2025
Photo: Mark Bell
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., makes his contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (May 13).The Full Story
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., on May 13, announced the creation of a National Skills Bank (NSB), an all-encompassing database designed to identify labour shortages and mismatched skillset allocation.
“It will effectively guide and redirect workforce planning, forecast future demand for skills and lead the way in creating an upskilling and cross-skilling culture,” Mr. Charles Jr. said.
The Minister was making his contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.
He informed that the Ministry will be working with the HEART/NSTA Trust, non-governmental agencies, academic institutions and several other stakeholders on the initiative.
Meanwhile, Mr. Charles Jr. said Operation Streamline, a strategic initiative aimed at improving the work permit system in Jamaica, has been launched.
It aims to eliminate backlogs and enhance efficiency in processing, compliance and monitoring, ensuring that Jamaica remains an attractive destination for skilled talent, while protecting opportunities for the local workforce.
“I want to reiterate – work permits are not issued to displace Jamaicans but to bring in critical skills that lead to local job creation, training, and certification. A key example is the German Ship Repair Jamaica (GSRJ) Shipyard in Rockfort, where foreign nationals have been brought in; they receive permits and are transferring their knowledge to several Jamaicans coming out of HEART/NSTA, CMU (Caribbean Maritime University)… [thereby] enhancing Jamaica’s labour force,” Mr. Charles Jr. said.
He added that the Ministry remains committed to monitoring all businesses and request that they comply with the Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens (Employment) Act.
“Under Operation Streamline, we will implement a fully digitised application system in this financial year to reduce paperwork and improve the turnaround time for processing with clear service standards. Modernisation of the work permit system is ongoing with user acceptance testing currently being conducted,” the Minister said.