Minister

of Finance and the Public Service Nigel Clarke has said that the newly

established COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force will be working assiduously to

ensure the restoration of jobs lost as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19)

pandemic.

Clarke,

who chairs the multisectoral group, said data, particularly from applications

for assistance under the Government’s COVID Allocation of Resources for

Employees (CARE) Programme, showed that “we have had tens and tens of thousands

of Jamaicans who, unfortunately, have been laid off and, in some cases

terminated, since our first COVID-19 case was confirmed on March 10”.

He

noted that 60,000 applications have been received for the Supporting Employees

with Transfer of Cash (SET Cash) component of the CARE Programme, which will

provide grants to persons who earned taxable income of $1.5 million or less,

who have been laid off or have lost their jobs.

The

minister said layoffs and job losses have occurred in a number of sectors and

subsectors. These include tourism and attractions, the airline industry,

entertainment, manufacturing, retail, security, entertainment, early childhood,

and private education services.

He

pointed out that in the case of the latter, “we are seeing where some

enterprises have resorted to laying off temporarily, as schools remain out”. Of

note, Clarke said data from the SET Cash applications suggest that more than 75

per cent of the applicants are under age 40, pointing out that these are “persons

who are starting out in life [and] have obligations”.

The Minister described this scenario as “very painful”, particularly in light of the significant level of job creation and reduction in unemployment occurring in recent years.