Since the recent upgrading of Jamaica’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS), more than 4,000 Jamaicans have found jobs, while the system has attracted 1,300 employers and 23,000 jobseekers.

The disclosure came from the Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Zavia Mayne, who said that LMIS has had a “significant impact” on the labour market in Jamaica. Mayne was delivering the keynote address at the launch of the LMIS website and mobile application, held recently at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

“The LMIS has become a national employment portal, with career practitioners and educators now using it to make informed decisions,” the state minister revealed.

The internet-based system has three major components – the electronic labour exchange (ELE), the labour market Intelligence (LMI) and the skills bank. It was established to link prospective employers with employees through a web-based medium.

A major function of the ELE is the provision of career counselling to jobseekers, tips on résumé writing, interview and job search techniques.

Mayne told his audience that the system is part of his ministry’s continued quest to “reduce unemployment and to minimise the existing skills gap in the labour market”.

He also pointed out that the website is now more user-friendly, and features improved job-matching capability, easier navigation, and is more contemporary.

The mobile application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for use on multiple mobile devices, such as cellphones, tablets and leptons, and will soon be available for Apple devices.

“I implore all business owners and corporate human resource managers to register on the LMIS portal, and we will help you find the right talent to suit your needs,” the state minister insisted. “To all persons seeking a job, regardless of your age or level of qualification, register to the portal and start your journey of finding that job that matches your skills.”

The system was developed with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and partners such as New Employment Opportunities (NEO), and Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE).