CLARENDON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Sunday sought to reassure supporters in South East Clarendon that despite the difficult times, his administration is making progress.

Speaking at a constituency conference at the Vere Technical High School, Holness pointed to the unemployment figures and debt reduction as tangible signs of his administration’s progress.

“Yes, there are difficulties, and yes, the time is hard, but we are making progress. I want to point out something to you. So much conversation going on that sometimes if you listen to some of the things you believe nothing is happening. It is not the case. A lot is happening, a lot is happening in Jamaica,” Holness said.

“When we took over in 2016, anybody can tell me what the unemployment rate was? The unemployment rate was 13.7 per cent when we took over in March 2016. You know what the unemployment rate is today? It is about 7 per cent. In effect, your government – you elected this government- cut the unemployment by almost 50 per cent” added Holness.

The Prime Minister went on to explain that while most thought of the unemployment rate as ‘just a figure’ the practical implications were that household incomes had increased and there is mow added pressure for more workers.

“The people who do the employment, there is not a day that they don’t come to me and say, Prime Minister, ‘I cannot find people to work’. When was that ever the cry in Jamaica, in your lifetime,” asked Holness.

Holness said requests for work permits were coming in daily, however, his administration has maintained a Jamaicans-first policy.

As a solution for the high demand for skilled labour, Holness said his administration has made access to institutions like HEART free, even providing stipends depending on the programme area.

Holness also highlighted his administration’s efforts in the area of debt reduction, which he noted had freed up more money to be spent on other areas of social life and development.

“Our budget is now one trillion dollars, and the debt service is 280.6 billion dollars. What that means is that our debt service, what we pay out of every dollar, has moved from 48 per cent to 28 per cent of every dollar. I want you to appreciate that point,” said Holness.

“We used to have to take 48 cents out of every dollar to pay debt. Today, we only need to take 28 cents out of every dollar. That is a fundamental change in Jamaica. No fake news, no propaganda, no lies can contradict that. That is what you call a fundamental, profound change. It is this party that is reforming Jamaica, it is this party that is transforming Jamaica” added Holness.

According to Holness, it is through the performance of his administration that the public will know who really cares about them.

Holness also used the occasion to share his plans for developing the parish, noting that in the pipeline was a mega water project for Clarendon which would help to power growth in the areas of housing development, agriculture and tourism.