Ferguson pledges to help grow US Hotel Programme
ROSE HALL, St James — Minister of Labour and Social Security Dr Fenton Ferguson has expressed his resolve to grow the resurging US Hotel Programme, which is expected to recruit some 3,000 locals this year.
According to data revealed by Dr Ferguson, who assumed ministerial responsibility for labour and social security in November of last year, the number of Jamaican workers employed in the US hospitality programme has been steadily climbing since it whittled down from over 5,000 in 2007 to 540 in 2009.
“In relation to the US hospitality programme, in 2007 we had approximately 5,177 workers; by 2008 we saw, going into the US recession, a reduction to 3262. But we had a precipitous fall by 2009, down to only 540 workers. We have now been back on a steady growth since 2010, except for 2012 when we had a slight dip. We were down back to about 1,180 workers in 2012,” Dr Ferguson disclosed.
“We are very happy. Last year we had approximately 1,927 workers coming to the United States, representing approximately 56 per cent of 2014, when we only had 1,232 workers.”
In the meantime, Dr Ferguson noted that he was fully aware that because of “the bureaucracy that is involved in the process, a number of small hotels and others, they back away from getting involved in the programme”.
He, however, vowed to seek audience with United States Ambassador to Jamaica, Luis Morena, to discuss the programme, which he described as a win-win for both countries.
“It is my goal, and that of the team… the permanent secretary… that we must grow it. And we are going to do everything. Wherever we have to lobby, we are going to be lobbying. I am going to be seeking an appointment with the US Ambassador to Jamaica because I also want our team to be sensitising the US Ambassador to Jamaica in relations to our views, our thoughts, in relation to this programme,” Dr Ferguson declared.
“We have friends in Congress and we too would want our ambassador in Washington to be on board in relations to talking to our friends to ensure that this programme is kept alive and well.”
Dr Ferguson, who expressed that he was mandated by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who for over a decade served as minister of labour and social security, to grow the US Hotel Programme, was addressing a group of American employers at a breakfast meeting at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa last week.
The employers were in the island on a recruitment drive.
One of the employers, Margaret Harris of Sea Island, pressed the labour and social security minister to seek assistance from any connection that Kingston has in Washington to convince the US that the programme is “not to displace American workers but to supplement the American workers.
“We certainly try our best to employ locally — and we will continue to try our best to employ locally, but for the seasonal jobs it is very difficult to hire people who will come in and only work seven, months, eight months, nine months. It’s very difficult in the US,” Harris noted.
In fact, she argued that additional jobs in the area of transportation and housing are generated when international workers are recruited, adding that through shopping the local economy also benefits.
“It’s a fact that bringing international team members does increase jobs for American workers due to transportation and housing and the local economy, for the shopping. TJ Maxx is almost completely bought out when everyone is getting packed and ready to go home,” Harris pointed out.
Jonathan Jerusalmy, also of Sea Island — who noted that his compatriots are not willing to neither work overtime, nor on holidays — lauded the work ethics of the Jamaican workers.
“The American workers are not into working on holidays, they try to stick to their 40 hours. The Jamaican workers we get got to send money back to their family. There is a purpose when they come to work and so they will work 24 hours if they can. If there were 25 hours in the day, they would work 25 hours,” Jerusalmy argued.