STATEMENT: “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” Oliver Holmes
#TurksandCaicos, June 10, 2021 – As the Minister with responsibilities for Education, Labour and Employment Services, my colleagues and I from the Ministry saw it fitting to address the nation on our initiatives and the way forward to improving the Employment Sector in the TCI.
COVID-19 has impacted the global economy and the Turks and Caicos Islands, has had its share of the impact. To date, four hundred and seventy-six (476) persons have registered with the Labour Department with 80 per cent of registrants being Belongers, 9 per cent As Naturalized persons, 5 per cent being holders of Spousal Residence Permits, 4 per cent Residence Permits Holders and 2 per cent Being Free Lance Work Permit. Of the total two hundred and sixty-one (261) are female and two hundred and twenty-five (225) are male.
The Government is committed to ensuring that on this road to recovery, our people are gainfully employed in positions that are aligned with their skillset.
The Employment Services Department is pleased to announce our new initiative – J.O.B.S. – Job, Opportunity and Basic Skills. This initiative seeks to assist job seekers with obtaining basic skills prior to applying for vacancies and attending interviews with potential employers.
This initiative will commence, Tuesday, June 8th 2021 at IGA Parking Lot in the nation’s capital Grand Turk. We realize that Grand Turk does not have the largest population, however, we sympathize with those who have been unemployed for over one year due to the closure of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. This is to ensure that residents are fully prepared for the anticipated opening.
The drive will continue throughout the family islands on Friday, June 11th at Sunny Foods in Five Cays
Wednesday 16th June Butterfield Square, Downtown, Providenciales.
Friday, 18th June Nell’s Gift Shop, Leeward Highway
Monday, 21st June PTV Parking Lot
Thursday, 24th June IGA Gourmet
Friday, 25th June North Caicos
Monday, 28th June South Caicos, Digicel Parking Lot
This registration drive aims to account for all local unemployed and underemployed persons, so that the Department of Labour and Employment has the opportunity to properly evaluate their resumes and ensure they have continuous health coverage during this period…..
If you are already registered, the Department of Labour and Employment Services will be making contact with you to update our records. There is no need to re-register at this time unless there has been a material change to any information on your resume. We are asking you to monitor your phone and emails for any correspondence from our department.
Shortly following this Press Conference our Registration Drive Calendar will be circulated on the Government’s Website and on Social Media. Currently, persons have the option of submitting their resumes in the Red Drop Boxes located in Providenciales at the following grocery stores: Graceway IGA, Smart and Sunny Foods. If persons prefer to communicate electronically, their submission can be sent via email to jobregistration@gov.tc .
In continuing our efforts to ensure that the unemployed are job ready, the Department has set aside the month of July 2021 to host numerous workshops geared towards Job Readiness Training, inclusive of but not limited to basic skills, focusing on resume building, interview skills including dress code and communication skills throughout the islands. Further updates will be circulated at a later date.
As part of our training, we have partnered with the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Ambassadors who are on island to provide hospitality training for their staff. They have lent support to assist us from Wednesday, June 9th to Friday, June 11th for persons registered as unemployed and interested in hospitality careers. These persons have already been identified and are eager to commence the workshops. The training will cover Food & Beverage, Front Office and other key hospitality functions. The Human Resource Manager has promised an ongoing series of workshops in partnership with Employment Services.
The recent Moratorium that came into effect on May 1st 2021 has provided the Department of Labour and Employment Services the opportunity to assess the employment market and strategize as to how best unemployed and underemployed residents can benefit from any available jobs that would have been occupied by First Time Work Permit Holders.
The Moratorium also speaks to the consultation period with key stakeholders. In light of this, the Ministry has already begun consultation and will continue its initiative with the Hotel Association, Chamber of Commerce, Water Sports and Restaurant Groups. Discussions at these meetings will be centered around local recruitment, training, and communicating the government’s plans moving forward. We will also request staffing information from companies throughout the TCI to build on our current employment database in order to compare wages, gender information, youth employment, skills deficit across various sectors and predict potential job growth in the next two years.
In July once the government has had its first 60 days to consult with stakeholders and consider the state of employment in the country there will be a further update.
All in all, the people of these islands can rest assured that their government is making every effort to collect relevant information in an effort to make informed decisions. In closing, I encourage unemployed persons to register with the Labour Department, help us to help you! If the government is unaware of the current state of employment, it would prove challenging to be effective in crafting policies to assist its citizens. We encourage you to Register and take advantage of these opportunities.