Jamaica must upskill workforce to attain economic growth - Chen

By Kimone Witter 

   

For Jamaica to attain high levels of economic growth, it must develop the political will to rapidly improve the skills in the workforce to match the changing job market.

 

This is according to president of the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF), Wayne Chen, who says the digital transformation of the country has to be the top priority of any government.

 

Mr. Chen says one of the major challenges in 2025 will be the reality that despite the low unemployment rate, the majority of the country's workforce is without skills.

 

"Only 40% of working Jamaicans have certified skills. So many of the jobs and economic activities are relatively unproductive because productivity, having high value-added skills, are one of the issues around productivity. And the fact is that Jamaica has, and for at least the last 50 years, has had one of the lowest productivity improvement rates in the hemisphere – I think, we are second from the bottom. And that is one of the underlying reasons why we have not been able to attain the high levels of economic growth that will become necessary to lift us out of where we are now to advance country status to developed country status," he contended. 

 

The JEF president said changing the mindset of Jamaicans toward a skills based society will be difficult. 

 

"The fact is that at the organisation level, we know as employers that change is difficult, fundamental change is difficult. So when you upskill to the national level, it's a change management process. It will mean that things that we have become accustomed to, will have to change. And it's a mindset change more than a technology changes. Our young are willing to change, you know, but it's the teachers and the leaders and the middle management that are more resistant to change," he argued while speaking Thursday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106FM.

 

Mr. Chen said the first imperative of the government must be to fix the issues in the education system and ensure students exit with skills that are market ready.