By Denise Williams, Staff ReporterTHE SOLUTION to Jamaica's problems is in hard work and good family values, said Richard Chen, co-chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's (PSOJ) Job Creation awards sub-committee.
"Reach early to work, work through lunch and leave late," said Mr. Chen. He said these were the success secrets which he had been taught. He was addressing the monthly Job Creation Awards ceremony sponsored by Cable and Wireless at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday.
"Moore's Transport embodies this," he said of one of the two awardees this month. The other, Arc Systems, owned by Senator Norman Horne, he said, "has quietly focused on businesses with a fresh pair of eyes."
Mr. Chen said Senator Horne returned to Jamaica four years ago and has since developed a large cement distribution firm, Arc Systems Limited.
Job creation awards require at least 25 new employment opportunities in the previous six month. For small businesses with 50 or less employees, the minimum is five new employment opportunities.
MORE JOBS NEEDED
"One thing that we need in Jamaica is jobs," said guest speaker Raymond Campbell, president of the Jamaica Banker's Association. He said that while there are 70,000 registered companies in Jamaica which employ at least 15 people, more needs to be done.
EFFECTS PROFOUND
Figures from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica show that unemployment stands at 16 per cent.
"The effects of employment are profound," Mr. Campbell said. "It improves the mental, emotional and financial condition of the previously unemployed person and their dependents. Jobs create a stable social order."
According to the PSOJ, since the inception of the awards in January of 2002, over 2000 new jobs have been created in Jamaica.
