KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has pushed back against calls for the importation of labour to address the current shortage in the labour market.

“I have heard calls from persons in the industry saying maybe it’s now time to import. I don’t think so — at least not yet — because there are still Jamaicans here, and we can’t give up on them. We are going to push hard to get all of them into the formal economic space because we need their labour, we need their creativity, we need their energy, we need them in our economy, and we are not going to give up on them,” Holness said.

The prime minister, who was speaking at a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) fundraising banquet on Friday, acknowledged the urgency with which businesses require labour. However, he stated that the Government intends to work diligently to integrate unattached youth into the formal labour market.

“The next phase of our development, the next chapter of our administration, will be a laser-like focus on ensuring that all our human resources are available for the development of themselves and the Jamaican economy. Every person in a gang, every person not working, is a loss to our society. We must now actively compete to pull our youngsters out of gangs and place them into jobs. Every young person who is not in the labour force or doing something productive is literally depriving the economy of its growth potential,” Holness said.

He said the Government will equip these individuals with the necessary skills and provide the support required to enter the formal job market.

“We are essentially at full employment, except for those persons who are currently outside the labour force. The strategy now is to get them into the labour force,” Holness noted.