Gov't policies needed to help people unemployed due to care responsibilities re-enter labour force - CAPRI

By Kimone Witter    

 

The government is being urged to develop policies that can help some 15,000 people unemployed due to care responsibilities, re-enter the labour force.

 

The Caribbean Policy Research Institute says if these people were to be employed, Jamaica could potentially see a 2 per cent increase in Gross Domestic Product.

 

CAPRI with funding from the HEART/NSTA Trust, recently published a report titled Outside In: Increasing Participation in the Labour Force, which focused attention on the category of non-participating caregivers.

 

CAPRI found that these 15,000 people, mainly women, represented 70 per cent of all those who wanted to work but would not be able to for whatever reason.

 

A further breakdown showed that approximately three out of every five individuals outside the labour force due to care responsibilities reside in rural areas.

 

The four principal constraints found by CAPRI were: lack of trust in others to care for their children, which was especially a concern for younger caregivers and parents.

 

Persons were also concerned about the cost of caregiving; had difficulty in finding a suitable caregiver, particularly for elderly dependants and the lack of workplace flexibility, including the availability of part-time jobs that would allow caregivers to balance work-home responsibilities.

 

Lead researcher Dr. Kelly-Ann Dixon Hamil has put forward a suggestion that could help this group of people re-enter the labour force, while adding revenue to the economy.

 

"We're suggesting that vouchers of some sort be given to those persons who actually want to work, and that they can use it for care, whether it is at a daycare or some other facility for the elderly, etc. With that though, they would have to use those vouchers at registered and regulated care facilities, which then means that we are also bringing that into the formal sector," said Dr. Hamil, who was a guest Tuesday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica.

 

The survey also found that there are people in the group of non-participants because of care obligations who have work experience, training, and qualifications. 

 

In the meantime, Minister responsible for Information, Skills and Digital Transformation, Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, said the government recognises the challenges of caregivers who want to be part of the workforce.

 

She has accepted CAPRI's suggestion of developing policies around this group, but wants more attention focused on understanding the 200,000 people who say they do not want to work, especially the men. 

 

According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica's labour force survey, 52 per cent of people outside the labour force say they do not want or need to work.

 

CAPRI said further studies need to be conducted to determine how these people are surviving.