KINGSTON, Jamaica– The Jamaica government says it intends to tap into the local labor force to identify, recruit and deploy at least 10,000 of 90,000 workers required in the global cruise industry amid concerns that scrupulous people were charging potential workers up to J$200,000 (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) to secure jobs on their behalf.
Tourism Minister. Edmund Bartlett says the demand stems from a shortage of workers occasioned by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’s disruption of tourism activities worldwide, which resulted in a reduction in the number of persons employed in the sector.
He said, however, that the Ministry and stakeholder partners will be diligent in ensuring that identifying and recruiting potential employees “does not disturb our [local] hospitality sector, which is so key.”
Bartlett said that focus would be placed on areas “where we don’t have the strength of the hotels,” among other related offerings, and which would have suitable persons readily available to take up available job openings.
Bartlett, addressing a ceremony for the presentation of Disaster Risk Management Tools to tourism and allied industry stakeholders over the last weekend, said the demand for employees within the tourism industry is consistent with those in various domestic and global sectors and forms part of the stakeholder response in the overall post-COVID-19 recovery efforts.
He said consequently, a level of portability must be created and facilitated among local workers that would enable them to take up job opportunities, noting that “it’s one that we have to encourage, but (which) we also have to manage.”
Bartlett said that it was also imperative that the welfare of the workers be safeguarded to ensure they were not exploited.
His comment came against what he said are emerging reports suggesting that persons have been posing as recruiting agents operating within the tourism industry and are charging potential workers up to J$200,000 to secure jobs on their behalf.
He urged persons seeking employment in the industry to refrain from making payments to “intermediaries” whom he implored to desist from charging fees.
“Stop it! Nobody is to pay an agent or any intermediary for any recruitment opportunities for work in the tourism sector,” Bartlett said, warning, “if we find it [happening], we’re going to treat [the perpetrators] as scammers. The law will take its course, I’m sure.
“We [must] seek to eliminate that mindset ([of persons who would want) to make profit from the [misfortunes] of others,” Bartlett added.
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