The Tribune

By Ricardo Wells

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 1,000 people queued up outside Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort in Cable Beach yesterday for the resort’s career fair despite the limited positions available.

The line of jobseekers stretched from the hotel’s entrance on West Bay Street, further west down to the other block. The resort is only looking to fill a few dozen positions, The Tribune was told.

The resort’s public relation’s manager, Chester Robards, said the career fair was an eye opener. He indicated that the large turnout speaks to a bigger issue, the lack of jobs available in the Bahamas.

“This process does show the need for more jobs in the country. There are, if not 1,000, possibly more and all are willing to wait on this line for a shot at an interview,” said Mr Robards.

He added: “This was considered by the company a general call to fill a number of vacant positions we have here at Sandals but the number of persons that showed up today is something we didn’t expect. There are persons here trying to apply for positions we listed as open and for some that we didn’t list.”

“We are working to see as many persons as possible today. It should be acknowledged that despite the long waiting times, those out here today are remaining calm and respectful. They understand the circumstances and they, like us, are just trying to make this process move as (smoothly as) possible.”

A 17-year-old youth, who is a first time job seeker, indicated the wait wasn’t an issue for him because he really needs a job.

“I got up early this morning so I could be here by eight and by the time I got out here the line had started to form,” the teenager said. “I never thought that this amount of persons would be out here looking for work. This just goes to show how much people really crying for work.”

“This is actually my second time on this line because the first time I got sent away because I had on jeans. The woman (a Sandals security guard) told me that it would be best to go home and change because the jeans weren’t going to work. That was around 10am, now I am back (shortly after noon) and this line stretch all the way down the road. These people aren’t playing with work, everyone looking for a job.”

According to a 53-year-old Marathon resident accompanying her daughter, the best word to describe the event was sad.

“It is not a good feeling to know that there are all of these young people out there with nothing to do and no way to earn a living,” she said. “I expected a lot of people, but not this many. I told my daughter from yesterday that she had to be out here early because I knew this was a possibility,” she said, pointing at the long line.

“It puts a strain on parents because you work to raise your kids and then when it’s time for them to work, there is no place to work. Things are tough for everyone so any extra money could be a plus. I have pushed my daughter to get a small job to help her with her college bills, hopefully this is it.”

The majority of persons that The Tribune spoke to yesterday ranged between the ages of 17 and 25.

According to the Department of Statistics, the country’s unemployment rate rose from 14.3 per cent in May 2014 to 15.7 per cent as of November last year.

The survey results further show that youth, between 15 and 24, continue to face a considerably higher rate of unemployment than any other group. That group’s unemployment rate was 31 per cent, an increase of three per cent from the previous survey, when it was 28 per cent.

Mr Robards said hopefully Sandals and other hotels can do their part to lower the unemployment rate.

He added: “Hopefully the work we at Sandals are doing will help reduce the unemployment numbers along with some of the other projects around the country. But what remains obvious in all of this is that the unemployment figures need to be addressed.”

Last week, Prime Minister Perry Christie said it would be “incorrect” for anyone to interpret the latest unemployment statistics as suggesting that net jobs have been lost in the Bahamian economy. Mr Christie said the reality is that the rise in the country’s unemployment rate resulted from an expansion of the labour force that simply outstripped the growth in jobs.

Mr Christie said: “In fact, the detailed labour force data from the Department of Statistics reveals that total employment in the Bahamas actually increased modestly between May and November of last year.”