The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Dion Foulkes announced a slate of three new employment initiatives yesterday, geared toward easily pairing potential employers with job seekers via the Department of Labour.

During a press conference at the department’s Rosetta Street office, Mr Foulkes announced the launch of its one-day employer’s seminar, a “Labour on the Blocks” initiative and a construction job fair.

Mr Foulkes insisted the department’s facilitation of these types of initiatives will continue throughout the year, in hopes of decreasing unemployment.

“No longer will the traditional methods of job seeking and employee engagement be the only source of job placement,” he said.

“The Department of Labour’s PES-unit officers will be registering individuals on-site at the various events.

“Job seekers who are disabled are also encouraged to attend, preferably accompanied by a family member or friend who is able to assist with their registration process.

“We wish to commend our Permanent Secretary Cecilia Strachan, our Director of Labour Robert Farquharson and the Deputy Director Patrenda Brice and our able and hardworking officers for organising these events.”

With regard to the employer’s seminar, Mr Foulkes said the initiative, which was also held between 10am and 2pm yesterday, was designed to introduce employers to the department’s new interactive Public Employment Service (PES) website.

He added the department wanted to do its part to provide employers with access to resumes of eligible Bahamian job seekers locally and abroad, while also providing opportunities for employers to upload job vacancies directly to the department’s database.

Mr Foulkes said the department was using this opportunity to meet with and engage employers and allow these employers to meet the officers of the PES-unit and be made aware of the support role the unit can provide to them.

The Department of Labour is expected to, at its various sub-offices, provide employers with a space to conduct job interviews off premises as well as assist with conciliation matters.

The department’s second initiative, “Labour on the Blocks,” will target job seekers who may have given up on finding gainful employment or may not understand the avenues they should take to secure employment.

The initiative is expected to visit every constituency in New Providence over the course of 2018, starting the Bain and Grants Town area Saturday.

All job seekers in the area are encouraged to come out and register with between 11am and 3pm.

“We encourage businesses in these areas, to join us in this exciting initiative by coming out and registering their job vacancies on-site at the ‘Labour on the Blocks’ events,” Mr Foulkes stated. “We will host ‘Labour on the Blocks’ in a different community every month this year.”

The final new initiative - the construction job fair - will be specifically focused on pairing job seekers and employers in the construction industry.

Promoted as another one-day forum, the initiative is planned for Saturday, January 20, at the Kendal G L Isaacs gymnasium, from 12pm to 4pm.

The country’s unemployment rate fell below 10 per cent for the first time last year since the great recession, according to data released by the Department of Statistics in August 2017, which listed employment increases in the civil service, tourism industry and construction sector as contributing factors.

The Labour force survey, conducted between April 24 and April 30, 2017 put the country’s unemployment rate at 9.9 percent – a 1.7 percent decrease from the results of the October 2016 survey.

According to the survey, the unemployment rate in New Providence was 10.4 percent; in Grand Bahama it was 12.4 percent and in Abaco it was 7.8 percent.

No sector experienced a greater increase in employment than the civil service. During the budget debate in May, the Minnis administration decried the substantial rise in civil service employees in the lead-up to the 2017 general election and has pledged to take a much more conservative approach to public sector hiring.