There is a suggestion that Barbados may need more skilled individuals in light of projected investments and job creation.
Minister of Labour Colin Jordan gave that indication on Tuesday, stopping short of saying whether Barbados would need to import new talent to meet the anticipated demand.
Delivering remarks on day two of the Week of Excellence at Solidarity House, Jordan said that as Barbados continued its restructuring programme, new and improved skill sets would be needed to meet future demands.
“As we execute the growth and transformation aspects of our Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation plan, we will have to make sure in the public sector, in the private sector and in the third sector – civil society – we have the requisite workers and skills to drive our economy,” he said.
Jordan said Government has set up a Population Commission in an effort to, among other things, examine the effects of the island’s aging population on the social security system and the availability of workers for various sectors.
“Confidence is returning to our country and with that will come increased investments in our economy. The establishment of businesses will create demand for people to work and allow businesses to grow and contribute to the building of the economy. So, ladies and gentlemen, without anticipating the results of the work of the Population Commission, I think I can say that there is the possibility that we may realize we may need more people and skills than we currently have, or that we can obtain organically,” the Labour Minister contended.
He said it was therefore important that organizations “respect and appreciate” diversity, adding that cultural wellness was important to promote happy, secure, efficient and productive workers.
While not providing details, Jordan indicated that Prime Minister Mia Mottley would be informing her Caribbean Community (CARICOM) colleagues this week that Barbados has added to the categories of workers allowed free movement under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
“Our Prime Minister Mottley, between today and tomorrow, will be advising her colleagues that Barbados has made progress in this journey to free movement, because she will indicate that we have added some additional categories to those already agreed by previous meetings of CARICOM Heads,” he said.
Adding that the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration has a strong focus on efficiency and productivity, Jordan once again defended the Government’s decision to close the Productivity Council, saying that “this government is fully committed to not just productivity narrowly defined, but to the manner of improving the competitiveness of this country”.
The post More skilled workers needed appeared first on Barbados Today.
from Barbados Today https://ift.tt/2Ubfsu3
via IFTTT https://ift.tt/2UbsCHl
No comments: