President of the Jamaica Employers’ Federation, Herbert Lewis, has expressed concern about the country’s high unemployment rate, especially in the 20-35 age group, and has called on the government to put measures in place to stimulate investment and growth.

“There are some 140,000 unemployed now. Of this total, some 84,000 of the unemployed are between the ages of 20-35 years. Last year, only approximately 17,000 secured employment. Do you really understand the problem we have on our hands?” he asked rhetorically.

Lewis was guest speaker at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s 26th Job Creation Awards at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday.

“We have presented a $328-billion budget. Our national debt stands at $226 billion. We cannot continue to grow out of it. We have to become productive and efficient,” he added.

According to his figures, unemployment stood at 140,000 in 2002 and jumped to 171,000 last year. And while this year’s numbers were now down to 140,000, he said, this was not an indication that the country’s job landscape was improving.

Many job seekers, Lewis maintained, had simply given up the hunt out of frustration, thus contributing to the dip in the numbers that were still too high.

The high unemployment levels, he said, had resulted in a host of other problems that hamper the country’s development and growth.

“High levels of unemployment spawn a host of problems: growing inequality and social exclusion, the waste of foregone output and unutilised human resources, increasing economic insecurity and the human suffering inflicted on the employed,” he said. “In contrast, a high and stable rate of productive job creation is the mainspring of equitable economic and social development. Against this background, it is imperative for the government to do everything in its power to create an investment-friendly environment so that business can step up its efforts at promoting action to solve current employment problems in this country.”

During Tuesday’s ceremony, the PSOJ recognised three companies – Hi-Lo Food Stores (Ja) Ltd, Pablo’s, and Restaurant Associates Cajun Limited (Popeye’s) – for the creation of about 343 jobs, collectively, over the last six months.

The PSOJ’s job-creation awards programme recognises companies or entrepreneurs that have created a minimum of 25 new employment opportunities within the last six months. Also recognised are entrepreneurs or small businesses that have created a minimum of five additional jobs.

It was the PSOJ’s third ceremony since the start of the year.

Pablos’s has two stores in Kingston and has, since this February, expanded to Mandeville, in order to serve customers from Manchester and nearby parishes. The establishment currently employs 75 persons.

Restaurant Associates Cajun Limited was incorporated as a private limited liability company as the operator of the Popeye’s Chicken and Seafood franchise.

Popeye’s presently employs 84 persons, filling capacities from crewmembers to restaurant managers.

The 51 year old Hi-Lo Food Stores (Ja) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grace Kennedy & Company Ltd, just last year increased their number of stores with the acquisition of five other Hi-Lo Basix Supermarkets. These acquisitions resulted in 184 workers joining the supermarket chain.