Labour Ministry to Introduce New Work Permit Management System

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is to introduce a new work permit management system to close the skill gaps in the local economy.

Addressing Wednesday`s (February 26) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said the Ministry has commenced work to replace the existing work permit system and to improve business processes through the creation of a new web-based and mobile-friendly work permit management system.

“The system, which will be informed by labour market intelligence as well as training and certification needs, aims to close the skill gaps in the local economy. In so doing, the Ministry is ensuring that work permits are granted to persons where there are no Jamaican counterparts or a shortage in the labour market,” the Minister said.

“We are currently now at the final stage of development of this new digitised system. Pre-user acceptance testing is ongoing, and we will conclude by the end of February followed by the actual user acceptance testing to commence in March,” he added.

He said the efficiency programme that has been implemented in the Ministry has yielded positive results but will be further strengthened with the introduction of a programme, dubbed ‘Operation Streamline’.

Minister Charles Jr. noted that Operation Streamline is a bold and strategic initiative aimed at improving the work permit system in Jamaica even further.

“For years, we know that employers, foreign investors and workers have expressed serious concerns about inefficiencies in the process ranging from delays in processing to challenges with regard to compliance and monitoring. Operation Streamline will specifically be designed to tackle these challenges head-on, ensuring Jamaica remains an attractive destination for skilled talent, while also protecting opportunities for our local workforce,” he said.

He said the key objectives are to continue the digital transformation, and to ensure faster processing time.

“We are implementing a fully digitised application system to reduce paperwork and to improve turnaround time and accuracy. We will also have strengthened oversight and compliance,” he said.

The Minister further noted that a work permit oversight committee has been established to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in approvals.

“Employers must, however, know that you will have to demonstrate a clear need for hiring foreign workers while prioritising skill transfer to Jamaicans. That means that going forward, this oversight committee will be even more granular in ensuring conditionalities attached to particular skills that are coming into the country, to ensure that where we have those gaps, it is transferred in terms of skills to a Jamaican for the future work,” he emphasised.

He said a dedicated work permit help desk will be introduced to provide real-time assistance and guidance. “We look forward to the new online tracking tools that will also help applicants to monitor the progress,” the Minister said.

Furthermore, Mr. Charles noted that work permits will be granted in alignment with the national development priorities and skills shortages identified in key sectors.

“We’re going to have a stronger linkage between the Labour Market Information System and the work permit approvals, and this is to ensure that vacancies are first made available to qualified Jamaicans before any permits are issued. Also, going forward, related skills that are not found here in Jamaica will be examined to make sure that we have that apprenticeship conditionality,” he said.

He said public education will be undertaken to inform the businesses and workers on the new process. “We have started already, and we will continue the consultations with industry stakeholders to ensure the system remains efficient, fair, and responsive to the labour market needs,” he added.

Minister Charles Jr. noted that a tiered prioritisation system will be introduced.

“The system will ensure that where applications submitted in excess of the eight-week period are still current in our process, they will be reviewed and advanced with urgency. For these applications to be fast-tracked, we ask and invite persons who have any permits beyond eight weeks to contact workpermit@mlss.gov.jm and use the subject Operation Streamline,” he said.

For further details, queries may be sent to the Ministry at workpermit@mlss.gov.jm.