KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jobseekers are being encouraged to make use of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Labour Market and Information System (LMIS) portal in order to access employment opportunities. 

The advice came from Director of the Electronic Labour Exchange (ELE), Lyndon Ford, at a JIS Think Tank on Wednesday.

Ford said that the core function of the LMIS is to connect jobseekers with potential employers.        He noted that when the LMIS was first implemented in 2002, through funding from the United States Department of Labour, its main task was to provide employment opportunities for low-skilled workers.

However, over the years, the portal was enhanced through several capacity-building efforts, and the LMIS’s mandate has been widened to include all job opportunity levels.

“We are now looking for persons with various positions and qualifications… from domestic worker to PhD professional, to drivers – all skill-sets,” he said.

To register with the LMIS, individuals may visit lmis.gov.jm or download the app, which is available on Android devices through the Google Play store.           

 Ford noted that partnerships have been forged with the Jamaica Library Service to facilitate people who do not have access to computers and may want to utilise the employment portal.

Individuals can also visit the ministry, where public computers are available and officers are on hand to assist with registration.

 The ministry also accommodates manual registration, and jobseekers are advised to take along their résumés, Tax Registration Number (TRN), National Insurance Scheme (NIS) number and recommendations. 

In addition to connecting job seekers with employers, people can also access job readiness workshops and career guidance services free of charge from the ministry.

The objectives of the LMIS are to disseminate labour market intelligence; provide easier access to employment opportunities; provide a wide range of information on past, current and prospective economic conditions and job availability; and facilitate equity in the labour market by providing support and assistance to the unemployed and special groups such as the disabled, aged and youth.