Labour Department not capturing unemployment data
Acting Labour Commissioner Michelle McLean has revealed that the Labour Department has not been capturing data about unemployment statistics in the territory.
The disclosure emerged from the 2022 report issued by the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) following budget deliberations late last year.
During those deliberations, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn referenced statistics for unemployment in the territory and queried if the department was still not capturing the data.
In response, McLean said the department was not capturing unemployment data because although the department has sent out several press releases asking employers to submit their data, employers have not complied with this request.
Penn then asked whether any statistics could be deduced from the department’s records and registration.
McLean responded that while the Department of Labour and Workforce Development has statistics, this data merely deals with persons on work permits. She said it does not capture BVIslanders/Belongers who have lost their jobs.
Legislation should address gaps where necessary
After hearing this, the Opposition Leader conveyed that there needs to be a policy decision to capture these kinds of statistics. He further related to the SFC that if legislation was required, it should be brought to the House of Assembly (HOA).
Penn then requested statistics on all types of permits issued by the Labour Department for the periods 2019, 2020, and 2021.
What of those 1,000 jobs?
According to the SFC report, Penn also inquired about the government’s ‘1000 jobs in 1000 days’ initiative and asked if it still existed.
He requested statistics from the Labour Commissioner on the actual start date for the initiative, when the period would have elapsed, and how many jobs were created in that period.
McLean reportedly said that while the initiative still existed, it was not at the magnitude of when it was first established.
The Labour Commissioner further stated that her department was trying to revitalise the initiative but noted it had been quite difficult in terms of placing BVIslanders/Belongers in positions.
Additionally, she noted that there are some employers that are asking for employees, however, the persons that the department has registered are not vaccinated and this created another problem.
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Is this serious? You cannot even say how many people are unemployed? Someone please step into this mess called the LABOUR DEPARTMENT! This is such a basic concept I am afraid the COI missed out on this circus show & clowns.
Who is really surprised at this? They are busy trying to spite expatriates and local business persons that they do not favor so they have no time for any real work. Incompetence from top down, this is your government working for you. We should give them another 4 years. 1000 jobs in 1000 days. The best part is hearing that the Labour department has been delaying or rejecting work permit applications claiming that locals need jobs but they themselves are short-staffed but won’t hire the locals that they are forcing on private businesses. All of the Ministers in this Government are abject failures, ALL!
They new thing the are doing is after you. paý $50 to submit your work.permit up to a year later it is not ready every 6 weeks you pay for time for a year never received the work permit the next year you apply for a work permit they have the guts to tell you that you have to pay for the one you never received the year before and the one now can a tortolian tell me if this isn’t robbery to the highest level I know this for a fact.
Unemployment does not mean the number of bodies out of work.
The Labour Department should focus on processing work permits and clearing the backlog.
Unemployment numbers is not its business and should be performed by the statistics department and people with appropriate expertise.
So many illegals coming & going they can’t keep up on the numbers
Of course they don’t. It’s the Labour Department not the Unemployment Department…the usual blame it on something else. I doubt the Labour Department could even provide a breakdown of jobs by skill/trade done by outsiders.