NEGRIL, Westmoreland – Reports that various categories of hospitality workers are yet to retake their jobs since the sector started to rebound from the devastation caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, are causing jitters among stakeholders in the tourism mecca of Negril.

Richard Wallace, president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce, is baffled over why hotel workers are reluctant to return to their jobs even as unemployment is currently high.

“Some of them (hotels) have retained their staff but not everybody has returned to the tourism industry. So, I understand that there is a shortage of workers right now and that is something that we have to look into because the unemployment rate in Jamaica is pretty high and yet there are jobs available. So, you need to wonder why they are not taking these jobs,” Wallace questioned.

Wallace, who is also a hotelier, told the Jamaica Observer West that some of the categories that “I find, personally difficult to find workers are like groundsmen, scullion, plumbers, electricians and stuff like that. Sometimes they are hard to come by.”

But noting that while the industry is seeing its best tourism season since December 2019, Wallace said the staff situation has not yet reached a crisis level.

“It is not at a crisis level yet, I don’t believe. We can still get contractors to do the work. So pretty much, we are able to manage now, but it is something that we will have to watch to see how it develops,” stated Wallace.

Speaking in Montego Bay in July, president of the Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Clifton Reader stated that the industry was on a recruitment drive to fill the void left by some workers who have since transitioned to different sectors or been lured away to North America.

“…So the hotel industry…we are now looking for workers because a lot of Americans now do not want to work in the service industries in America, so they are pulling our best. But we shouldn’t be upset. In fact, we should encourage it,” argued Reader, who is also the managing director of Moon Palace Jamaica.

“One housekeeper came to me and said the other day, ‘Mr Reader, I have a little half-finished house to finish, can you give me leave of absence to go abroad and come back?’ I said yes, yes, go – one of my best [workers].”

Reader also noted that during the tourism lockdown, a number of tourism workers had also transitioned to the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

“In fact, Miss [Gloria] Henry, [Global Services Association of Jamaica, president], is also a big competitor of mine when it comes to my employees. We were checking up on our workers and one of our cooks joined your (Henry’s) organisation, working from home, the flexibility of working from home. And she set up her own little cook shop, earning two or three times more than what I could afford to pay. So that person will not come back to work,” said Reader.

And speaking at a stakeholder’s consultation meeting in Montego Bay last week which was put on by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce Industry (MBCCI) and HEART/NSTA Trust, MBCCI’s President Janet Silvera cited that “in 2021, the world has seen workers quitting their jobs in record numbers”.

She cautioned that if not cauterised soon, the phenomenon termed the ‘great resignation’ is undoubtedly making its way to Jamaica, and will negatively impact the country’s labour force in a massive way.

“Young people, especially, are leaving their stable jobs to pursue entrepreneurial ventures or to global organisations that are willing to employ people remotely, leaving local employers struggling to fill the gaps. Although this is a move that affords upward mobility for many, it is critical for us to consider where the next generation of workers will come from,” Silvera argued.

Meanwhile, speaking at last week’s official opening of the 444-suite Ocean Eden Bay in Trelawny, Bartlett also raised concerns over staff shortage in the sector.

He argued that as investments enhance the island’s tourism offerings, thousands of job opportunities will open for Jamaicans.

“Therefore, there is a pressing need to address the challenging staff situation that has emerged as a result of the disruption of the supply chain occasioned by COVID,” Bartlett stated.

But he highlighted that the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) will shortly be launching two game-changing initiatives to revolutionise recruitment of tourism workers.

“The centre has been doing an excellent job of driving the professional development of workers across various sectors of the industry. To date the JCTI has facilitated the certification of over 8,700 persons in hospitality management, tourism management, culinary arts and spa management among others that are highly demanding hospitality skills,” Bartlett stated.

“In early 2022 the JCTI will be rolling out the database of certified persons, which will enable certified job seekers to upload their resume to the online portal while employers will be able to readily find and invite candidates with the right skills to apply for positions in their organisation. This is a revolutionary move in our labour market arrangements,” he argued.

Yesterday, a former hotel worker, who only gave his name as Marlon, said he is among the scores of individuals who are yet to return to the hospitality sector.

He noted that after working at a hotel on the north coast for 10 years, he was given $20,000 when the facility was shuttered as a result of the pandemic.

He said he then made a decision to return to his painting trade which is paying him far more than what he used to take home from the hotel where he was employed as a waiter.

“One of the reasons I did not return is that after working for 10 years I only got $20,000 which left me to ponder what will be my reward after another 10 years,” he said.

“I know many persons who did not return because they are now doing things that pay them more than what they earned at the hotel,” he told the Observer West.