The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH the government is on its way to creating jobs, “it can’t be too soon” because of the number of Bahamians who are struggling to make ends meet, Labour Minister Shane Gibson said.

Speaking at the Department of Public Service, he said “tightening up” on the issuance of labour certificates is one way the government is “keeping more jobs for Bahamians” and a number of projects are being looked at which could create employment.

When asked about PLP campaign promises to create thousands of jobs for Bahamians – including one by Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis to create 10,000 “immediate” jobs, Mr Gibson said: “I don’t want to speak for the government but what I do want to say is we’re looking at quite a number of projects – local and international.

“I’m not sure the number of jobs that it will create immediately and I don’t know what immediate means – I don’t know if immediate means the first day, the first year, the second year, but I can tell you, we are on way to creating jobs.

“But based on what I see out there, it can’t be to soon. There’s a lot of individuals hurting – lights off, no water, no food in the fridge, children have to be pulled out of school. So if I asked individuals who come to see me every single day looking for work, they’ll tell you it’s not soon enough.”

The government is “on its way” in job creation with various hotel projects and a National Training Agency initiative to be ready by summer.

“We have a number of projects that we are looking at right now that can possible employ thousands of Bahamians,” Mr Gibson said. “We had started Baha Mar before we left office in 2007 and Baha Mar is expected to hire some 4,000 plus employees.

“The National Training Agency is on schedule to begin training as early as June, which will help to facilitate the needs of the Baha Mar project. We signed a contract with a group out of Canada for the re-opening of The Reef hotel, which is going to create about 1,000 jobs, and we’re looking at several other projects that should create some jobs.”

The minister noted the government is meeting with local and foreign direct investors, “reviewing their plans, whatever they propose to do in the Bahamas in terms of creating jobs,” but this “takes time.”

He said: “Jobs are not created overnight. One of the things we did to keep more jobs for Bahamians is we have tighten up on process in issuing labour certificates. Individuals will tell you that they don’t receive a labour certificate as easily now as they did prior to us coming to office because there are a lot of jobs being given out to work permit holders that – even though Bahamians in the past were not willing to do – today, they are willing to do.

“So we’ve tightened up on that process and of course like everything else, you will hear individuals scream and holler, but the fact of the matter is we have to keep as many jobs local as we could.”

The government “understands fully” the workforce will never be 100 per cent Bahamian, he said, but added that the PLP believes “there are too many jobs being given out” that Bahamians can and are willing to do.

In cases where businesses are unable to find qualified Bahamians to fill a position, “then we have them to identify an understudy,” Mr Gibson said.

“We’ll say okay, within a year, two, three, four year period, we expect that the understudy would be ready and able to take over this position. It happens quite often.

“In the past what would happen, we would say it and nobody would actually follow through. But now we’re actually putting the mechanism in place to make sure that we follow through, straight to the end. So once they come back for renewal again, we’re able to get a progress report to say exactly where they are in terms of the understudy being ready to suit the position.”