Several persons who were a part of thousands who turned up at the East Street offices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security yesterday, to secure application forms for employment in the United States, criticised ministry officials for what they claimed was poor planning.

Thousands of individuals reported to the Overseas Employment Office in response to advertisements placed by the ministry, seeking persons to work as housekeepers and receptionists.

When The Gleaner visited the ministry, scores of people were seen pushing and shoving at the side of the building as they jostled for positions to gain access to the application forms which were being distributed.

"Why dem didn't just split up the categories of persons from the parishes whe dem come from instead a have everybody come a Kingston and the place can't manage it?" asked one woman, who said she had travelled from St. Mary.

Rescheduled

The rush of applicants, and the need to accommodate them on another day, forced ministry officials to reschedule other dates that were formerly advertised for other categories of workers.

"We have decided, because of the crowd, we have to divide the country into four zones and ask the people from the parishes to go to one of the zones," Pearnel Charles, Minister of Labour and Social Security, told The Gleaner.

"The zones will be Manchester, St. James, St. Mary, and Kingston, at areas to be announced. People closest to these zones will go on the date that is advertised," he continued.

Two thousand jobs are expected to be up for grabs in this round of recruitment, and the minister said Jamaicans should expect more.

"Many, many opportunities are coming up. I leave the island tomorrow for a mission to the United States to seek more jobs in various other areas for Jamaicans, and we are busily looking in other areas that I don't want to announce at this time."