The Tribune

• Osprey seeking up to 100 new hires tomorrow

• Sandals takes on 120; others seeking recruits

• Chamber director: More must use resource

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government’s labour chief yesterday disclosed that more than 1,200 Bahamians have found jobs since it launched ‘Labour on the Blocks 2.0’ in May, with several hundred more recruits sought imminently.

Robert Farquharson, director of labour, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s “job fair” where Bahamian contractor, Osprey Construction Company, has partnered with his department to seek up to 100 new hires, said his department was reaching out to private sector groups to encourage employers to use its services more frequently.

Armed with an expanding database of Bahamians seeking work, coupled with their skills, qualifications and resumes, he told Tribune Business that Sandals Royal Bahamian had hired 120 persons who had attended last week’s recruitment drive at the West Bay Street resort.

“We’ve had excellent success,” Mr Farquharson told this newspaper. “The one we held last week at Sandals, we saw about 360 persons who would have attended, and we were able to identify all the requirements needed by Sandals. About 120 persons were retained.

“From when we launched Labour on the Blocks 2.0 in May this year, I know we had well over - in excess of - 1,200 people find employment. And in three weeks we will have a team of persons going from door to door, seeking employers with vacancies. Instead of waiting for them to come to us, we will go to them.”

Sandals Emerald Bay, whose representatives had flown into New Providence to stage a similar job fair three weeks ago, remains looking for extra staff. Between that resort and Sandals’ other Exuma-based property, Fowl Cay, Mr Farquharson said another 30-35 hires are still needed.

Turning to tomorrow’s partnership with Osprey, he added: “The Department of Labour has been asked to identify 100 Bahamians seeking employment in the construction industry to fill vacant positions for a long-term project.

“They have advised us they were awarded two contracts in New Providence, and they need to fill those vacancies. We’re calling persons in the construction industry to come along between 9am and 3pm to our office on Rosetta Street to see if we can identify Bahamians.”

Osprey is seeking site managers and supervisors; carpenters; electrical installers; plumbers; and mason helpers. “One of the things the company has indicated to us is that there may be some young people who have done time in prison, and/or have a criminal record. They don’t care. They want to encourage people, even if they have a past, if they have a skill to come out because Osprey wants to employ them,” Mr Farquharson said.

“We’ve met with another company this morning on Abaco. They asked us to fly to Abaco on the 19th of this month because they are looking for 80 to 100 people in the tourism sector. We look forward to identify people looking for work on the island of Abaco.” He declined to identify the Abaco company or the contracts Osprey has been awarded.

The director of labour urged both Bahamian employers and prospective employees to register with the department. “We have people reaching out to us on a regular basis to say do you have anyone available,” he added. “We can identify the vacancies, and match job seekers to the job vacancies. A number of employers have said they need people. They can come to us, access the database and we can set up the interviews for them.

“It could be better. For the most part, Bahamian employers are still unsure of the services we provide. We are doing our best to improve the level of communication. We are working with the Chamber of Commerce and some of the employer organisations so they can reach out to us first and identify Bahamians.”

Mr Farquharson said the expanded job seeker database was also enabling them “to steer” employers to qualified Bahamians who were available, and willing, to take the post rather than the Department of Labour issuing a labour certificate so they can bring in expatriate labour. He added that this policy, which he said was enshrined in law via the Industrial Relations Act’s section 68, is now being enforced more rigorously.

Peter Goudie, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) labour chief, agreed that employers were not using the Department of Labour and its employee/skills database enough to meet their labour needs.

“It’s something to do; to go out and encourage the employers to get registered with the Department of Labour,” he told Tribune Business. “They’ve been doing a huge amount of work getting resumes in and with Labour on the Blocks. I just don’t think enough people are going and using the Department of Labour in the right way.

“I think people need to understand the Department of Labour is trying really, really hard to build a huge resume database so employers can come to them. I’ve started to do it. One of my clients went to the Department of Labour, as they had posts to be filled, and said: ‘Give me some candidates’. They have. We need to support that and not be sceptical about it.

“They’re doing a lot of good work there. I think we need to publicise it more and support them more. We need to work together as a team. They’re trying their hardest to get resumes on file. We need to, I think, say: ‘I’ve got jobs to fill. Give me candidates’. I’ve had good success with it. I don’t think enough people have registered with it, and maybe they did not have a good experience in the past, but it’s a huge resource and people need to use that.”