Despite a number of layoffs in the private and public sectors leading up to the holiday season, Director of Labour Robert Farquharson said he is hopeful that new jobs will be created in the new year.
The Bank of the Bahamas, The Gaming Board, The Ministry of Tourism, Resorts World Bimini and The Department Of Inland Revenue have all experienced cut backs.
Mr.Farquharson said the cut backs are a result of hard economic times.
He said they are however looking to help all of those persons find new employment.
“The Department of Labour along with The Ministry of Labour is looking to ensure that those persons receive their entitlement that’s laid out in their Employment Act and will ensure that those persons have access to the provisions of the National Insurance Board as it relates to unemployment benefits and also, we’ll be using the resources of the labour department to see if we could have those persons re-employed in different industries and different capacities,” Farquharson said.
Mr. Farquharson said he’s hopeful that the new year will bring new job opportunities.
These new job openings will come via Baha Mar that’s expected to hire another 2,000 persons next year, along with a number of other places in both New Providence and Grand Bahama.
“We know for a fact that in Grand Bahama the government of the Bahamas is in discussion with a group to reopen the Our Lucaya Hotel with a significant increase in employment as a result; once those negotiations have come to an end,” Farquarhson said.
He added that the department is also working to provide new jobs.
“The Department of Labour in conjunction with the Inter-American Development Bank in January 2018 will initiate the employability component of the Citizen Security And Justice Programme, where we hope to have at least 500 young people between 16 and 29 engage in a training programme and we’ll give them the skills while paying them a stipend and hopefully find employment for them upon completion,” Farquharson said.
Upon taking office, the government placed a freeze on hiring in the public sector and Farquharson said he has no word on when that moratorium will be lifted. However he said, they are working to assist the jobless gain employment.
