Dear Editor,

Scanning through the employment classifieds in our local newspapers, a logical mind will realise the numerous employment shams seeking to mislead and take advantage of naïve minds. Various “massage girls” vacancies belie their true tasks. Woe be unto those uneducated of the actual job description of such employment and woe be unto those on the brink of desperation that apply and seek these jobs because of the economic downturn of the Jamaican economy.

The unending fight to have two ends meet has made life intensely challenging for the average Jamaican. The struggle to find gainful employment has created disequilibrium in the job market. The central issue stemming from this imbalance is that a concentrated portion of the population possessing the attributes for employment, such as age, education and skills, are unable to utilise these abilities due to a stagnated and decreasing job market.

In a capsule, the situation at hand can be summed up as due to an economy in ruins. Some of the factors contributing to this include poor government planning, dollar devaluation, underutilisation of natural resources, and the selling of the country’s natural resources to overseas investors. Under these conditions the disequilibrium will continue to fester. Steps must be taken to create an environment where businesses can thrive.

The charge for stabilising the economy is upon the Government, policymakers, and all Jamaicans, to make Jamaica “the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”.

Stephanie McDonald

Santa Cruz Road, Yallahs

stephanie2mcdonald@gmail.com