Labour Ministry Receives 4,988 Work Permit Applications During 2023

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security received 4,988 work permit applications for the 2023 calendar year, an 8.8 per cent increase over 2022.

Of this number, 2,644 were for renewals, while the remaining 2,344 were new applications.

These details are contained in the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2023, which was tabled in Parliament recently.

According to the survey’s findings, the number of approved work permits increased by 22.1 per cent to 4,783.

“Of all the permits approved, 80.2 per cent was issued to males,” the document indicated.

Work permit approvals continued to be granted predominantly in the following industries: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicle and equipment – 1,961; construction – 966, and accommodation and food service activities – 612.

The largest number of approvals by occupation were managers – 1,812; professionals – 1,172, technicians and associate professionals – 699, and craft and trade-related workers – 562.

“The largest share of approved work permits continued to be from the regions of Asia and Latin America, accounting for 57.1 per cent and 15.9 per cent of overall approved permits, respectively.

Similar to the previous year, nationals from China (1,817), India (726) and Mexico (396) registered the highest numbers of approved work permits,” the document indicated.

Under the Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens (Employment) Act, 1964, foreign nationals pursuing employment in Jamaica must first apply to the Labour Ministry for a work permit.