Young Jobseekers Benefiting from Electronic Labour Exchange

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, says the Electronic Labour Exchange (ELE) is positively impacting the lives of young jobseekers.

The ELE matches employers and jobseekers, and provides career counselling, résumé writing, and access to information on scholarships and loans.

“In recent times, we have been working with persons in the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) by providing job-readiness training and employment placement. I have had the chance to see them as they visit our office, and I am proud to share that the programmes offered by the ELE have created a sense of hope for them and their families,” the Minister said.

She informed that officials from St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, and Grenada conducted a study tour of the programme earlier this month, to see whether it could be used as a model to address youth unemployment in their respective countries. The visit was funded by the Organization of American States (OAS).

Mrs. Robinson was speaking at the first in the series of ‘Labour and You’ roadshows on Wednesday (September 19) in Mandeville, Manchester.

The two-day event addressed issues related to industrial relations, the job market, occupational safety and health, efforts to eliminate child labour, as well as local and overseas employment programmes.

Minister Robinson, in her presentation, stressed the importance of improving skills and being prepared for the job market in an era when the notion of having one job over a lifetime is a thing of the past.

She noted that in order to ensure the greatest level of productivity over the 47 years of one’s working life, intervention programmes are needed to facilitate skilling, re-skilling and upskilling.

“Gone are the days that workers complete training which lasts a lifetime. With the rapid changes in the way we manage businesses and perform work, the skills learnt up to age 18 will become outdated by mid-career. To that end, the roadshows will be a vehicle for directing people to improving their skills,” she said.

The Minister, in the meantime, cautioned prospective jobseekers to be wary of unscrupulous persons, who will fleece them out of hard-earned money by offering them fake overseas employment opportunities.

She said that the Ministry has help desks and qualified officers, who can provide them with credible information about registered employment agencies.

Meanwhile, Director of Industrial Relations and Allied Services in the Ministry, Gillian Corrodus, said the roadshow, which will travel across the island, will address a number of critical issues related to the labour market, including the labour laws.

“When we look at the number of concerns and complaints that are shared with us by employers and employees, we recognise that we need to have greater dialogue,” she said.

“So the concept of this regional roadshow is to roll up our sleeves and speak to some of these issues to see if we can achieve growth and achieve our sustainable development goals,” Ms. Corrodus added.

Among the agencies of the Ministry represented were the Industrial Relations Department, Child Labour Unit, Electronic Labour Exchange, Employment Agencies Unit, Pay and Conditions of Employment Branch, Social Intervention Programme and the Occupational Safety and Health Department.

The roadshows, which will travel across the island, involve collaboration with the Jamaica Employers’ Federation and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions.

The show will next stop in St. Ann October 30 and 31; Kingston and St. Andrew, November 21 and 22; St. James, January 16 and 17; and St. Thomas, February 27 and 28.