The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The private sector has been urged not to negatively interpret the director of labour’s comments about “employer hiring tricks”.

Peter Goudie, head of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) employment and labour division, instead suggested that the main employer takeaway from Robert Farquharson’s comments should be: “Be honest if you want to play ball.”

Mr Farquharson, addressing last week’s National Conclave of Bahamas Chambers of Commerce, said the Department of Labour had “significantly limited the tricks” used by employers to deny Bahamians jobs in preference to foreigners.

And he slammed some some tourism and financial services work permit applications as “ridiculous”, arguing that they deliberately set high qualification thresholds to both deter - and ensure - Bahamians did not get the post.

His comments are likely to be interpreted negatively by many in the private sector and corporate community, who will doubtless start fretting over whether they will be able to access specialist talent essential to sustaining their businesses.

Mr Goudie, though, said Mr Farquharson’s address should be seen as “an honest message” rather than a negative one.

He added that it was both an acknowledgement of the Bahamas’ high unemployment problem, and the need to balance finding jobs for Bahamians with the ability of companies to import foreign talent vital to the smooth functioning of their operations.

Mr Farquharson had listed several so-called “tricks” that he said were used by employers to deny Bahamians jobs, but Mr Goudie told Tribune Business: “I can honestly say that in every request I’ve made of Robert, I’ve never had a problem.

“He’s just really trying to send a message that people need to be honest if they want to play ball.”

Mr Goudie agreed that some employers did abuse the Labour Certificate/work permit regime, but added that this was not the “widespread problem” that Mr Farquharson’s comments may have implied.

“I know he has told me they’ve caught companies in the past that were exaggerating their requirements,” he told Tribune Business. “We all knew it was going on. Whether they’ve limited it I’m not so sure, but I don’t think it’s very widespread.

“Maybe he’s trying to make the process more honest; that’s the feeling I get. I don’t think it’s a negative message. We need to employ Bahamians, we have an unemployment problem, and they’re [the Department of Labour] going to get diligent about it.

“It was a very honest message. I think they’re trying to say they’ve got an issue with unemployment, and they’re trying to deal with it.”

Mr Goudie added that if the Department of Labour was able to locate an available, suitably qualified Bahamian to fill a position, then a company “should be willing to play ball”.

Yet he also told this newspaper: “Somebody can be qualified but not necessarily a good employee - they’re not good at customer service. Although someone may be qualified, there’s another qualification; whether they’re a good employee.

“I think that if I ran in and explained it to Robert Farquharson, he would understand it.”

Mr Farquharson last week said the Government’s policy was that Bahamians must be “considered” for all job openings if they were suitably qualified and available.

Acknowledging that there were specialist areas where foreign labour was required, he said this would be facilitated with Certificates of Labour and work permits.

However, companies importing foreign workers had to appoint a Bahamian to understudy them, and provide appropriate training, so that when the work permit term expired there was knowledge transfer and the latter was ready to take over.

Mr Goudie, meanwhile, also backed comments by Khaalis Rolle, minister of state for investments, over how the estimated 28,000 work permits issued annually by the Government almost matched the 31,000 Bahamians officially recorded as unemployed.

Arguing that this was “the honest truth”, Mr Goudie said Mr Rolle’s comments merely highlighted the skills gap stemming from the troubled education system.

The BCCEC executive praised Jerome Fitzgerald, minister of education, for acknowledging the extent of the problem - and its implications for the workforce, productivity, competitiveness, and the wider economy and society - in his public speeches.

“He is trying to change the system and fix it, although it will take years,” Mr Goudie added.