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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
A Communication To
The House of Assembly
by
Hon. D. Shane Gibson, M.P., Minister of Labour and National Insurance &
Minister of the Public Service
on Department of Statistics
2014 Labour Force & Household Income Survey
Nassau, Bahamas
Mr. Speaker and Honourable House Members I am so grateful to the good people of the Golden Gates Constituency on whose shoulders I stand and whom I have the privilege to serve. Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to deliver a brief, but very important communication to this Parliament on a Report compiled by the Department of Statistics on the 2014 Labour Force Survey.
This survey, Mr. Speaker was compiled by the professional staff members of the country’s premier authority on data and contains irrefutable evidence of the
success of the policies of this Perry Christie led administration. The survey was conducted during the the month of May 2014 and it provides empirical data on the Bahamian Labour force that covers the period since the last survey which was carried-out in November 2013. Numbers do not lie, Mr. Speaker, and The Bahamas is indeed on course and moving in the right direction. In just over two years, Mr. Speaker, the survey confirms that more than 8,000 jobs have been created as a direct result of the proactive and innovative policies of the PLP government.
Mr. Speaker,
The labour force has increased over the years and now stands at 197,335 persons up from 188,310 in May of 2012 and supports the fact that there is an increase in the number of employed persons and a decrease in the unemployment rate which now stands at 14.3 % which is much lower than it was when we took office in May 2012. In November 2013, the unemployment rate was 15.4%.
Of particular note, Mr. Speaker, is the significant reduction in the number of discouraged workers, especially on the island of Grand Bahama where this number has decreased by 60%. This new spirit of enthusiasm in Grand Bahama is directly related to the focused leadership and the on-going initiatives of the government including the Opening of the Memories Resort, the excellent working relationship with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the Hutchinson Group and the ongoing consultations with our social partners to improve the economy of The Bahamas.
Bahamians from all walks of life throughout the length and breadth of our Bahamas have hope and strong confidence in this government’s economic policies as the right formula at the right time to put our country back on the right path of economic revival.
Both New Providence and Grand Bahama, Mr. Speaker, experienced decreases in their unemployment rates. In the case of New Providence, the rate is 15.0%; and in Grand Bahama, 14.7%. As stated earlier Mr. Speaker, Discouraged Workers in the country fell from 6,765 in November 2013 to 4,880 in May 2014 representing a decrease of 1,905 or 28%. Both New Providence and Grand Bahama experienced a decline in the number of discouraged workers from 3,335 to 2,920 down by 475 or 14 percent in the former and from 1,915 to 760 representing a decrease of 1,155 or 60 percent in the latter. These downward trends are significant, Mr.Speaker, because they amply demonstrate that many Bahamians who are available to work are finding jobs, our economy is rebounding and the job creation Agenda of the Perry Christie led government is bearing fruits.
As the Minister of Labour & National Insurance, I want to also speak to the contributions that the National Training Agency and the Department of Labour have made respectively in reducing the levels of unemployment in the country.
One of the functions of the National Training Agency Mr. Speaker, is to devise and implement strategies and actions that would positively affect the overall employment rate among youth between the ages of 15 - 24. According to the survey, unemployment among this group is considerably higher than any age group and stands at twenty-eight percent (28%).
The National Training Agency has devised an industry standards driven competency-based training program to address the lack of skills (soft and practical) among this at-risk grouping. This program, comprising Training Provider based learning and internships, has been most successful and effective.
Since the establishment and launch of the NTA on July 15th, 2013, the challenge of decreasing the unemployment statistics relating to youth, has been the primary focus of the Agency. The Agency targets youth and young adults between the ages of 15 - 26 and in considered instances makes accommodation for young adults up to age 29.
This survey indicates that unemployment among this target group decreased by some four percentage points, decreasing from thirty two percent (32%) to twenty-eight percent (28%) over the six months period.
The activities of the National Training Agency has undoubtedly contributed to this decline in unemployment as during this period August to December 2013, the Agency trained over 450 youth and young adults in New Providence and found full time jobs for well over 100 of its trainees. Based on feedback obtained from other trainees, it can be conservatively estimated that another fifty to sixty trainees found jobs on their own initiative. The average wage paid to these trainees is between $220 - $260 per week. Annually this reflects almost two million dollars that would be circulated in the economy.
The National Training Agency's second cohort of 170 New Providence trainees recently completed their prescribed period of training and the first Grand Bahama cohort of over 150 trainees will complete their training in another week which will bring the number of persons trained by the NTA to over 800 young Bahamian adults.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the NTA is also proud of the relationship we have established with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology. As a requirement for the Standardized High School Diploma which will be introduced in senior high schools this September for all grade 10 students. Students will be required to have 20
hours of job readiness training as a prerequisite to graduation. The NTA has established the modules and the training program that will be necessary for our trained teachers to manage with the supervision of NTA.
Mr. Speaker, the work of the staff in the Department of Labour, in general and in the Employment Exchange, in particular should be highlighted and commended. The countless interviews that would have been scheduled for unemployed persons in New Providence and Grand Bahama, resulting in over 500 workers that are now working in Bimini as a direct result of the job fairs sponsored by the Department of Labour in conjunction with Bimini World Resorts, the push for employers to identify and hire more qualified Bahamian to fill the vacant positions that exist.
In addition, there are structured meetings designed to ensure that there is a constant flow of information between Developers and the Department of Labour and where necessary the terms of the respective Heads of Agreements are adhered to by all stakeholders.
Indeed Mr. Speaker, during the past months, meetings have been held with Kerzner, Bahamar, Sandals, Albany, Bakers Bay, Scotia Bank, CIBC First Caribbean Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Scotia Trust, Grand Bahama Ship Yard, Bimini world Resorts. In the coming months, my Ministry expects to add to this list of companies, Club Med, Breezes SuperClubs, Lyford Cay Club, The Cove Resort and Graycliff, Columbus Fishing & Spa, Santa Maria Estates all in an effort to ensure that the best possible balance is accomplished between the requests for expatriate assistance and the need for more Bahamians to be afforded opportunities to provide for themselves and their families.
These are just some of the examples of the work done by the staff of the Ministry of Labour and National Insurance and hence more than 8,000 Bahamians are working today that were not working prior to May 2014. That’s the PLP way!
I would like to highlight the collaborative efforts of both the Director of Immigration and the Director of Labour, Mr. Speaker, who have developed an excellent working relationship regarding the issuance of Labour Certificates and Work Permits and working with great efficiency to enforce the provisions of the Immigration Act
Mr. Speaker, I want to on behalf of the Prime Minister and the people of The Bahamas thank the Director of Statistics and the hard working and dedicated staff of the Department of Statistics for an excellent and comprehensive report.
In the run up to the 2012 general elections, Prime Minister Christie promised that the government will create 10,000 jobs and in just over two years, we are on track and headed in the right direction. I submit Mr. Speaker that when this survey is conducted in 2015 the numbers will be off the chain. With the forward looking policies of this PLP government and the plans that are on the drawing board, I have no doubt that Bahamians can, in the very near future look forward to further decreases in the rate of
unemployment as more jobs are created.
Mr. Speaker, while there may be some who wish us to fail for whatever reason, I believe that every patriotic Bahamian knows that whenever any government succeeds in providing better for its people then the entire country benefits. As the eternal optimist Mr. Speaker, I believe there are many patriotic Bahamians that want us to succeed.
The Bahamian people, Mr. Speaker, believe in our leader, the Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and he will not disappoint them. I, too, share the expressed optimism and believe in my heart that better days are indeed ahead for The Bahamas.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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