Should Jamaica start importing workers?

So unemployment in Jamaica is at a historic low of 4.5% and now some business people are complaining that there’s a labour shortage.  Specifically, they say they can’t find skilled workers.

This has prompted several business owners and even Prime Minister Andrew Holness to suggest importing workers to fill the gap.

And to say this is a controversial topic is putting it lightly.

Bringing in additional workers could take several different forms. It could be the Government or businesses offering special incentives for individuals to move to Jamaica for work, either for the short or long term. Or it could be businesses with locations in other countries offering to relocate workers to Jamaica. 

Whatever form it takes, importing labour would mean foreign nationals coming to work in Jamaica. And it’s easy to see why this is controversial because, despite the statistically low unemployment rate, it still feels like jobs are hard to get. 

And for those who do have jobs, a just a likkle bit a money. Now, they want to bring foreigners to fill the gap? But the thing to remember is Jamaica’s shortage is in skilled workers, especially in the construction, science and technology industries. 

A labour shortage doesn’t only affect the economy and companies’ bottom lines, but there’s also a human impact. It causes an increase in workload for existing employees. When a company doesn’t have enough workers, existing employees are pressed to take on more. 

It also brings up an issue that the BOJ governor raised a few months ago. With a labour shortage, employers tend to raise pay to try and attract new talent or keep their existing workers. 

But if salaries are increasing faster than what the economy is making, that’s going to cause inflation, meaning the cost of living is going to go up even more.

Importing workers to free up the labour market is one way to cut that issue off before it even starts.

Another solution is to upskill our current labour market, so that Jamaicans will be able to fill the gaps ourselves. Right, if the issue is a lack of skilled workers, give the unskilled workers a chance to level up. That keeps the jobs local and improves the quality of life for a lot of people… but that could take a while.

So in the interim, don’t be surprised if you start seeing foreign labourers in Jamaica soon… and that’s the bottom line.