Ludicrous! 20 Labour Department staff servicing 20,000 workers
Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull has described as ‘ludicrous’ the limited number of Labour Department staff available to meet the territory’s needs.
In an appearance before the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) late last year, Turnbull said it was ludicrous for a working population of almost 20,000 persons to be assisted by only 20 persons in the Department of Labour & Workforce Development.
Turnbull was told that this staff component included members of the Virgin Gorda office as well.
Acting Labour Commissioner, Michelle McLean, indicated that the department required another seven staff members.
Turnbull’s comments came after Minister for Labour & Immigration, Vincent Wheatley said part of the strategy for the Labour Department was to focus on the workforce development as opposed to work permit processing.
But according to Turnbull, it was impossible to achieve the initiatives that the subject minister wanted with the current size of the department’s staff.
The Opposition legislator further stated that attention had to be paid to the matter.
Proposed online portal
Meanwhile, Minister Wheatley told the SFC that a proposed online portal was expected to help free up manpower to allow the department to make a meaningful shift, but due to difficulties encountered, they were not able to get the portal operational.
According to the Minister, Cabinet papers to move the project forward were at the time with the Cabinet Secretary who is to bring it the executive body before it is introduced to the House of Assembly.
He said once persons had the ability to pay online, it should free up some capacity where the department could redeploy their focus on the workforce development side as opposed to work permit processing.
One of the other issues that was brought to the fore included efforts by the department at tracking the skills gaps that was present in the BVI.
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Mitch, Do we have 20,000 persons on work permits?
You are aware that dept of labor is responsible for any and all business right? Not just people on work permit. For example if a local was not paid by their employer who do you think they go to?
Too many expat workers, who are we really catering for?
I’m sure there isn’t 20k work permit holders but imagine the revenue it’s pulling in annually.
So all these people Vincent worried about protecting why not offer them jobs in all these government departments that are so understaffed
Why Vincent don’t hire the same local that he trying to force private businesses to employ this makes no sense
I like this, he saying he trying to fill the private sectors, while the government post are empty. So who he fooling? He just destroying the economy
There is no way there are 20,000 overseas workers in the Territory. The 2010 census report (issued in 2016) stated there were about 28,000 residents then. About 31% were attending school, and about 4% retired, so about 65% of the population is employed. That works out to about 18,000 employed individuals. The same census indicates that 61% of residents are from outside the territory, so that means there are about 11,000 who would need work permits. Some of them would be exempt because they’ve achieved belongership or because they’ve become residents. The census does not distinguish between belongers born overseas so possibly some of the estimated 11,000 would be exempt. This estimate may be not be far off the mark since growth since 2010 would have been offset by the 2017 hurricanes and the pandemic has reduced employment.
Now, it might seem a lot to process 10,000 work permit applications per year, but in a 50 week year, that works out to 200 applications per week, or 40 per day, or two per per employee per day if you have a staff of 20. With proper planning and organization this should be doable since many are routine renewals.
All staff do not process work permit, the Labour Department has more to do than just process work permit.
Even if half of the staff is involve in work permit processing, it is four permits per day per worker. That is still a walk in the park if you have productive workers. Finish all four by lunch time at one hour each and you have all afternoon to lime.
is the same local business owners sending for workers and dont want to hire the locals. is not now it happening, and then they want to say, send them home when is us bring them here in the first place.. this place a joke yes..
if they need stall fa Labor department , then take some of all the Belongers that are supposedly looking for a job. give them that 3rd or 4th chance!!!!
All ye forget “ 10,000 job promise “! Elections round the corner my friends. How best to create space than make Renewing permits or applying for a work permit.. a hellish long wait !! That way. People get fed up and leave. Or.. the cost of 2 extensions burn out the last few Pennie’s and you leave too. Government posts ??…of course not .. please… get that stick out and go beat the backs of the private sector. .. and no… The financial sector is exempt of that job pressure promise. !! Ministers … you have to train and educate the workforce in order for businesses to hire ! No business wants the drudgery and expense of spending time on people who quit , or have poor skill sets , Poor math and or don’t show up !! It’s time for a change again !! Cause this naw wok !
Immigration is a hot mess too. There severely under staffed for years and getting worse. It’s taking longer and longer to get anything done there. I actually feel sorry for the overworked staff who always getting the wrath of the public discontent and blame from the minister when poor management is to blame. Staff can’t hire more staff but the powers that be can but don’t. All the online systems put in place still need to be manned by humans.
20 people dem sat behind da desk playing candy crush on phone. No work ethic, don’t want to help people, dragging dem feet. Fire them all and rehire – purge the system and get some people that actually WORK !!
I called Labour and they said they are not hiring within the department so why are they making noise about being under staff?