Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar.
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A Cabinet minister has voiced pride at “really shaking up” the Ministry of Tourism’s workforce after discovering that the nine percent aged under 30 accounted for nine out of 10 resignations.
Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that a manpower audit of the ministry’s staff had proven “very revealing” as he denied claims that 14 employees had recently been laid-off or terminated.
Responding to a social media “voice note” being circulated by Fred Mitchell, the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) chairman, Mr D’Aguilar said the Ministry of Tourism does not lay-off or terminate any worker. Rather, because all are contract workers, they are subject to regular performance reviews with the possibility that their contracts may not be renewed.
The minister said only five persons had been impacted by this process recently, as he hit out at the former Christie administration for creating a bloated workforce by expanding the Ministry of Tourism’s staff from 250 to around 400 - with numerous hires coming “days before” the May 10, 2017, general election.
Mr D’Aguilar said the manpower audit, conducted after the Minnis administration took office, had exposed how numerous employees and become “disenchanted and disaffected”, with the progress of younger employees stifled by recruitment policies that left older ones in their post despite tourism’s ever-increasing dependence on rapidly changing technology.
“Fred Mitchell has gotten the wrong source,” Mr D’Aguilar blasted. “The Ministry of Tourism has not laid off anybody. The Ministry of Tourism does not lay anybody off. It evaluates each employee on his or her merits, and determines whether or not to renew their contracts.
“Tourism is a critical component of our economy, and it’s important to have the best team possible on its game every single day. That’s why the Ministry of Tourism was one of the few ministries, when it was set up, that determined all staff would be employed on a contractual basis.
“There are a number of people who, for whatever reason, don’t in the minds of the Ministry warrant a renewal of the contract. That’s almost normal and I had nothing to do with it. We have 400 employees. And it wasn’t 14. It was five. Minimal. It’s going to happen every year in the normal course of business.”
Mr D’Aguilar said it had been critical to alter the Ministry of Tourism’s age demographic given the increasing tendency of 21st century travellers to research and book the majority of their vacations online. This trend, he added, needed to be matched by a similarly tech-savvy workforce able to reach out and market to potential visitors using the mediums they employ.
“The MInistry of Tourism has employed over the last several years more than 30 millenials after a manpower audit revealed that only 9 percent of staff were under the age of 30 yet those persons accounted for 90 percent of the resignations,” he told Tribune Business.
“The Ministry of Tourism began to focus on getting bright young Bahamians into the Ministry, ensuring they were given engagements that gripped their interests and intellectually challenging assignments.
“I think we’ve created a lot of successful opportunities for young people to pursue a career in our number one industry. I’m very proud of what we have here, and we’re trying to empower people to achieve their goals. The manpower audit was very revealing,” Mr D’Aguilar continued.
“There were a lot of people who were disenchanted and disaffected. We’re trying to re-energise them and make this a fulfilling environment for them. We have really shaken up the human resources department in a way that may not have existed in the past.
“People who went overseas stayed overseas and never came back, blocking opportunities for other people in the agency to travel. We’re thinking of all these factors as we make a better and better workforce in this ministry. We won’t make everybody happy, but have shaken things up and made a difference.”
Mr D’Aguilar said the Ministry of Tourism’s workforce had settled at around 380-390 following the general election as he accused the former Christie administration of hiring in “an attempt to attract votes to the PLP rather than on the merits”.
“We’ve really brought focus to the deficiencies in the Ministry,” he added. “I think we were not attracting or retaining young, college educated Bahamians who wanted to pursue careers in tourism. We brought focus to that deficiency.
“I’m extremely proud of the recent hires at this Ministry. They’re intelligent, bright young minds interested in advancing our number one industry. A whole new dynamic is required to attract and market to travellers. We need to adjust our workforce to adapt to these changes.”
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 2 months ago
Only 5 out of a purported total headcount of 400 at the Ministry of Tourism were found not to warrant a renewal of their employment contract. Now that says all there is to say about the gross incompetency and corruptness of our yapping marshmallow haired Minister of Tourism.
TalRussell 4 years, 2 months ago
Bend over Comrade Dionisio James, cause you need bottom spanking - when even with 400 highly paid hired consultants advising you - itstill wasn't sufficient number skilled in touristic matters by so many man's and woman's have been sufficient to prevent colony's tourism ministry from scrubbing right after September 1, 2019 from its website - Abaco's portal, as prized touristic destination?
Footnote: It's not fake news circulating on social media that despite the 400 warm bodies - not single one them - including the crown's minister - saw the need have traveled to Abaco - to meet with the locals and foreigners on the ground that have been busting their backsides since September 2, 2019 - to rebuild Abaco's gold standard as a must visit tourism and hospitality destination? Can't write this. You just, can't.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 2 months ago
Intelligent bright young minds yes indeed . It is to bad that the same can not be said for D'Aguilar doc or the entire FNM members of Cabinet,
No disrespect to older people many who have these same attributes. But not this FNM crew
Vision less and dull.
TalRussell 4 years, 2 months ago
I guess Dionisio James will not be pensioning off anyone since tourism is a critical component of our economy, and it’s important to have the best team possible on its game every single day. That’s why the Ministry of Tourism was one of the few ministries, when it was set up, that determined all staff would be employed on a contractual basis?
Those honoured below must be ending their Ministry of Tourism with make their ways Food Bank, being they're ALL departing from contractual careers - stripped pension benefits, health plans, Travel on board colony's national airlines planes, are Edward Archer (42 years of service); Geneva Cooper (41 years of service); Antoinette Davis (40 years of service); Virginia Kelly (40 years of service); Angela Archer (39 years of service); Earl Miller (33 years of service); Cecile Torrence (29 years of service); Jean Simmons-Cleare (28 years of service); Rosemary Coakley (23 years of service); Leonard Stuart (17 years of service); Valerie Carpenter (43 years of service); Roslyn Pinder (42 years of service); Donna Mackey (42 years of service); Earlston McPhee (34 years of service); Cynthia Colebrooke (39 years of service); Jacqueline Ramsey (36 years of service); and Nalini Bethel (25 years of service). Cant write this. Just, can't that somebody going need another bottom spanking?
bogart 4 years, 2 months ago
Blah...blah ...blah....Isnt it that the Bahamas burst out with records in tourism that never had before...records from all the team workers.older ones..!!!! ...so why break up the team to now bring into argument that younger workers millienials fit the program..to appeal to young tourists...????
Big question is if the millenuals are better suited to appeal to younger demographics and be successful.....is using the same success plan... is that the older politicians be gotten rid of and younger millenials be made Ministers to need this millenial burgeoning nation..for success, lack of corruption, employment, prosperity for all etcetc........look at what happened after all dese years....!!!!!
TalRussell 4 years, 2 months ago
Regardless, colony's tourism is due to the efforts of one man's, comrade tourism minister Sir Stafford - even Dionisio James, works off the Sir Stafford model that coined the phrase - that Tourists are like any other commodity. You have to buy them.**
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 2 months ago
This is wrong on so many levels. Age is not a strict determinant of technical ability or skill.
Apple put out an ad recently "look at our developers" and theyve chosen to show the most unlikely of indivuals, greyed men and grandmothers. Apple realized that the body is just a shell for a brain that can function fantastically for ddcades if exercised properly.
If they were to examine statistics worldwide they would find that throughout the world young people switch jobs at a faster rate than older persons. Young people don't have families to support (in general) and tend to take greater risks. that is true whether you kick out the older person who was delivering results to give a younger person their job or not, the younger individual will still leave.
If they put themselves to their own standard not a one of them would be in their position... because theyre old and know nothing about technology. well, except Travis and his gunman tunes
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