SMALL CONSTRUCTION companies in the Cayman Islands are complaining of labour shortages attributed to immigration policies that limit the number of Jamaicans granted work permits, the Cayman Net News reported yesterday.
The country's Work Permit Board has long had a 'balancing policy' designed to limit the dominance of one nationality. Of the three-island nation's total population of under 45,000 people, one quarter (approximately 11,500) are Jamaicans with work permits. This out of a total expatriate workforce of approximately 23,000.
Labour survey
Walling Whittaker, the country's director of the Employment Relations Department (ERD), said the agency was currently preparing a labour survey
making recommendations to Government, about any changes to the law or policies that may be needed.
"There has been a dynamic shift in the construction industry," Mr. Whittaker said. "Employers are not able to fill positions that are traditionally held by Jamaicans."
He said the ERD was also aware that Jamaicans were good tradesmen and very similar to their culture.
"Their skills are excellent, and they are a good, cost-effective labour source and they have good work ethics,"
he added.
Recruiting workers from other countries further afield such as Latin America, Canada, India and the Philippines, causes employers extra problems with higher travelling costs and fewer English speakers.
He said demand for qualified labour was already on the increase, thanks to a boom in the construction industry, with Jamaica being the natural source thanks to its proximity and available supply of such labour.
