The Ministry of Labour has embarked on a major overhaul of Jamaica’s work permit approval system in the wake of frequent complaints about delays in the processing of applications and other concerns.

Minister of Labour Pearnel Charles Jr on Wednesday told the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing that the ministry is in the final stages of developing a new digitised system to replace the existing work permit programme.

The employment of non-Jamaicans in the island is managed by the Ministry of Labour’s Work Permit Department through the Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens (Employment) Act, and the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act. Charles Jr told the media briefing that while there is a push to have Jamaican job seekers connected with employers through various initiatives, there are still some gaps which are filled by foreigners, hence the push to improve the management of the application and processing of applications for work permits.

“The ministry has commenced work to replace the existing work permit system and to also improve business processes through the creation of a new web-based and mobile-friendly work permit management system. The system, which will be informed by labour market intelligence as well as training and certification needs, aims to close the skill gaps in the local economy. In so doing, the ministry is ensuring that work permits are granted to persons where there are no Jamaican counterparts or a shortage in the labour market,” Charles Jr told the briefing.

He said the ministry is currently at the final stage of development of the new digitised system.

“Pre-user acceptance testing is ongoing and will conclude by the end of February, followed by the actual user acceptance testing to commence in March, and the unit is committed to playing its part in reaching the new system development as soon as possible. The efficiency programme that we have put in place has been in place now for over a year.

“Between that time we can confirm that there have been several positive changes, including improved application processing times due to the addition of staff; however, despite all of that, we do recognise that further improvements can enhance efficiency, reduce processing times even further and backlog, reduce the errors in the process, improve payment processes to ensure that the client-facing experience is user-friendly for both employers and foreign nationals,” added Charles Jr.

He said as part of a commitment to modernising Jamaica’s labour market framework and to ensure a more efficient and responsive system, the ministry will be further enhancing its efficiency programme by introducing Operation Streamline.

“Operation Streamline is a bold and strategic initiative aimed at improving the work permit system in Jamaica even further. For years we know that employers, foreign investors, and workers have expressed serious concerns about the inefficiencies in the process, ranging from delays in processing to challenges with regards to compliance and monitoring. Consequently, Operation Streamline will specifically and specially be designed to tackle these challenges head-on, ensuring that Jamaica remains an attractive destination for skilled talent while also protecting opportunities for our local workforce,” said Charles Jr.

“We will also have strengthened oversight and compliance; we have developed and put in place a work permit oversight committee to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in approvals. Employers must, however, know that you will have to demonstrate a clear need for hiring foreign workers while prioritising skill transfer to Jamaicans. That means that going forward, this oversight committee will be even more granular in ensuring conditionalities attached to particular skills that are coming into the country to ensure that where we have those gaps it is transferred to a Jamaican,” declared Charles Jr.