Only 27% of construction workers are Caymanian
(CNS): The idea that construction is critically important for local jobs was dispelled by Ministry of Labour Chief Officer Wesley Howell on Thursday when he told the Public Accounts Committee that only around 27% of people working in the sector are Caymanian. Howell was answering questions about a report by the Office of the Auditor General, published earlier this year, that raised concerns about government expenditure on helping Caymanians into work.
He said that WORC is improving its data collection and explained how that data is being used to help shape a National Employment Policy, as recommended by the OAG. One of the many issues that the audit revealed was the mismatch between the jobs that are increasing in the labour market and the type of work that Caymanians are doing or want to do.
The chief officer said the research and data collected show that Caymanians are not engaged in areas that are generating new jobs and opportunities. Construction is one of the biggest growth areas for jobs, but almost three-quarters of those jobs now go to non-Caymanians. He said that new buildings, renovation and redevelopment are creating new opportunities, but there are significant skills gaps.
“We’ve heard… that some of the skill sets are extremely difficult to get,” he said, such as carpenters and certain types of civil engineers. “There is absolute room for extra incentives at the scholarship and internship level to direct students down that path into areas where there is growth and demand for employment.”
This undermines the position taken by successive governments to justify the continued over-development across the Cayman Islands: that it provides jobs for local people. As frequently noted in recent years, this is no longer the case.
The OAG report found a number of problems related to the CI$144 million the government spent in the last five years trying to help Caymanians enter the workforce and improve their career prospects. The audit found little evidence that any of the initiatives, programmes and attempts to remove barriers had helped.
In Improving Employment Prospects for Caymanians, Auditor General Sue Winspear made ten recommendations, including developing a National Employment Policy and helping job seekers gain the qualifications to meet the demands of the current job market.
In addition to the skills mismatch, there are a number of other barriers that are keeping local people unemployed at a time when there are tens of thousands of overseas workers employed here.
These include the lack of affordable childcare, the government’s failure to increase the minimum wage at all, let alone in line with inflation, discrimination against Caymanians in favour of cheap overseas labour, problems of substance abuse, mental health problems, learning difficulties and poor attainment.
At the end of last year, more than 1,100 unemployed local people said they were actively seeking work even though the workforce had reached record levels and there were well over 37,000 people on work permits.
Howell said that since the report was published, much work has gone into better understanding the Caymanian workforce and the barriers to finding work and improving career prospects. He said work is underway on the policy, which would be ready to present to the next administration later in 2025.
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Category: Government oversight, Jobs, Local News, Policy, Politics
The Sun’s hot fam.
I guess things are so good in the Cayman that no one needs to work.
Too many contractors get work permits for workers without being able to provide them steady employment. These workers are forced to pay for their own work permit fees and other benefits (a violation of immigration law) and many are then left to fend for themselves. The whole system is messed up…work permits for development that benefit only a few at the expense of the broader Caymanian society.
The core problem started when Governments excluded expats in the school system. As harsh as this may sound the education standard of Caymanians was far behind Expats. Had the incorporated expats into the system it would have hopefully increased the level of education.
Absolutely correct!
3.22….And would have created natural cultural integration, and helped eliminate social divide..
But they wanted Caribbeanisation, and got 3rd World.
Consistent approach by successive Cayman governments. Don’t like the cost or difficulty of providing a necessary service involving a degree of social good? Just provide it for the civil service and legislate to make it the private sectors responsibility. Just healthcare or pensions. Which is an arguable policy choice IF you then enforce the law. If you don’t, people evade the responsibility, and the government ends up paying for it anyway, but this time on an ad hoc basis which is way more expensive. Employer doesn’t pay pension deductions or their share so pensioners are impoverished? No problem, NAU pays. No or inadequate healthcare cover? No problem. Either the government pays directly or the HSA provides the service and never gets paid and the government funds the shortfall. Don’t provide decent education for Caymanians? They fall behind in the job market or cant get employment in the private sector , but the government either provides employment or the NAU provides a safety net for the unemployable. Short term convene, long term consequences.
I know many recent horror stories, and the recent storms proves how shoddy the “WORKERS” are in these times!
Leaks and roofing issues especially. But also electrical, tiling ..anything!
What do we get for Cheap 3rd world workers. most unskilled and begrudgeful.
Any proof for your accusations – or just a grumbling unemployed stamp licker?
Share your contact info here, and I’ll sent you lots of proof of the scrappy scam work done these days.
Even take you on a tour of scam work jobs bigger than Andre the Giant.
OK. But still no one speaking up for the Slave Labor Class.
NO INCREASE in minimum wages for ANYONE.
ONLY the Tourism workers will get only $1 more next July. But they will Lose their Grats.
No local can work for $7/hour. It costs more than that to go to work, pay childcare, gas, etc.
Government benefits far exceed Min Wages, so it seems locals are being set up to stay home and suffer in silence..or else.
they need to unionize
Caymanians don’t want the construction jobs. They want the top paying office jobs where the expats do all the work, while the undeserving Caymanian collects the top pay. Oh yes, and they also want to show up no earlier than 10AM and leave by 4PM to avoid the traffic. Let’s also not forget the 2.5 hour lunches too. Say some and it’s because you are a racist!
Hummh … sounds like my expat boss you are describing. Just saying …
You just stuck in your expat bubble. step outside like the others before you and you will change your tone.
It’s actually much less than 27% as most of those are paper Caymanians etc.
Jamaica has and continues to build Cayman. Sorry.
To build Cayman you have to get up daily at 5 am ish and get on site on time without fail or excuses for 5 or 6 days a week. Need I say more or you get what I’m saying ?
Your tools and materials will mysteriously evaporate, and if you check their other job sites you will see them in fullness and display.
ask me for examples!
Bere yard scammers around!
and 100% of them cannot drive for shit.
Is it that there are an inordinate amount of Caymanian construction workers out of work?
Or is it that there aren’t enough construction workers, Caymanian or otherwise, on island to meet the demand?
Big difference!
Good question. I believe there are two variables: 1) Caymanian construction workers are too few – they don’t want to work this type of job (nothwithstanding the pay they don’t want to get their hands dirty – yes, sarcasm is implied).
2) Too many Caymanians can collect barely enough CIG funds to survive, and that is good enough for them. There is too little interest to better themselves.
Now: Foreign workers are more than willing to work for less wages than Caymanians; they actually send money home – very admirable (except to Caymanians who resent this work ethic of taking care of your family).
This is common in many countries and Cayman is not exclusive in this respect, but Cayman is unique (with a few others) to resent foreign workers who actually work for lower wages and send money back to their home country to care for their families.
Cayman loves foreign money. Cayman hates foreign workers who do the ‘dirty work’ and generationally gain economic status. Caymanians want CIG money with little skills, little motivation, and a huge chip on their shoulder for “what I deserve for being Caymanian.”
And Caymanians hate expats who stayed in school, got educated, got entry level jobs, worked for decades to save and improve the future of their children, and can actually have a decent retirement. Many (not all) expats put in the decades of effort that Caymanians want to skip to achieve financial stability. This is not easy, it is not guaranteed, but it is also rarely granted due to being born Caymanian.
A true smack-down from harsh reality. Can Cayman change? Sure, IF it wants to. My prediction – I doubt it!
Several excellent points are made.
Caymanians need determine their future and figure out who are they developing this island for. You can slow down construction and finish up with a higher percentage of Caymanians employed in the industry. Conversely increase the development and reduce the percentage of Caymanians in the industry..
In conclusion is the percentage factor meaningful ?
NO way – we need more development not less. The developers are helping us so much. Look at the wonderful project on the old Padgett Beach site. Build – Build – Build!
That question keeps being asked.
We are developing Cayman for all of us, so the government (without income from direct taxation) has sufficient cash flow to pay for roads schools hospital services and so on….for all of us.
Until Cayman wakes up and has dedicated taxes, it needs the over-development and relates fees. After a basic tax structure is in place typical economics can evolve, with less development. However, looking at the 5 year past Minister class and the current class, I see no future for educated progress – good luck paradise… lost!
This would be a tricky issue. Many sources of legitimate investing is here ONLY due to no taxes. Much of that would leave, which may be good, may be bad. CIG is not good at considering ‘unintended consequences’ of its actions. CIG excels at making bad decisions which worsens problems, or doing nothing.
Bermuda, BVI and Bahamas have all implemented/are in the process of implementing corporate income tax.
Because their governments waste money, and have run out.
Sounds like Cayman; we are just a few years behind them. Our cash cows are on a lifeline. And when we crash, the impact will be horrible for Caymanians.
When people say things like “the government has to do something,” I say, have you ever studied what happens when the government does something compared to what happens when they don’t do anything?
Stop talking Cayman get up and do something about this terrible situation start by stop supporting those who are enabling assisting and promoting and protecting those who allowing this to happen to Cayman and it’s people.
Care to write/express your thoughts legibly and coherently?
Stop complaining about our lack of first world linguistic skills – we are an honest simple folk that love the sea, eat endangered turtles, elect criminals, ignore impending ecological disasters, love to build structures to destroy our cherished reefs, destroy our protective mangrove barriers… and then complain of what “was done to us.” Grammar… the least of our shortcomings.
you can always tell the paid developer shills in comment sections because they all cry “but it will bring jobbbbbssssss”
sure… just not for you or I, just low wage foreign serfs so they continue to prop up our failing system that needs on these low wage workers to keep development costs low and the developers bank accounts full.
Its why Jon-jon lost his mind with the minimum wage increase, he cant afford to pay his wife’s bull if he without is low wage work force keeping his profits high.
I see what you did there, but Jon-Jon not see nuttin
This makes no sense…
Has Seymour ever made any sense at all?
Jon-Jon Seymour doesn’t have any mind to lose.
Nope, not 27%, very much less! Most of those 27% “Caymanians” are actually McKeevas status holders.
Status holders are your neighbors, co-workers, maid staff, lawn care, construction workers to rehab your house after a storm, child care staff,… you get the message – they do everything you don’t want to do. If they are gone – oh my will you be pis-ed at actually needing to do these tasks. By the way, the tabs on the left and right of the diapers for your baby pull off for easy adherence.
“It’s a funny feeling being taken under the wing of a dragon. It’s warmer than you’d think.”
Cayman would benefit greatly by letting that sink in. I don’t need to explain who the dragons are.
And there will be lots more coming, the floodgates have opened, looking at 100,000 – think it will stop there with just these illegal already. These idiots in governnent and their supporters have never lived in the real world, some never left their own road until they became ‘MP’s and feeding themselves thinking they are important, complacent, we made it. They have no idea what is going to hit Cayman, harder you fall!
It’s a sham… disgrace… that the Cayman electorate continues to elect corrupt, uneducated, unethical Ministers. It is also a shame that there are few really qualified Caymanians willing to stick out their necks to run for office.
Cayman people doing it to themselves!
Best to allow all Jamaicans to come here and work without any work permits and also just eliminate any type of business license for Jamaicans. We will have better prices and lots and lots of great workers. This then will cut out the labor brokers but forget them anyway. Also stop any pension or health insurance for Jamaican workers as they work so hard they deserve the break. Let them vote as well so we can get great government like they have in Jamaica!
Jon-Jon for Premier!
Best to ban Jamaicans for a period and start revoking some Status.
Some ideas/considerations:
– how much CI$ goes to people to go overseas as scholarships? How much of that is to attend trade schools vs more expensive Universities? You don’t need a four year degree to work in A/C, construction mgmt, some allied health fields. All highly transferable/transportable skills.
– what is the penalty or tax for hiring non Caymanians in general work positions? Is it punitive enough to allow the Caymanian a fair shot? What is the tax on CI$ earned by non-Caymanians sent back to their families.
Some call these protectionist moves and I don’t disagree completely but some iteration of actions like these will help ease the flow to a more intentional and controlled pace while giving Caymanians a shot.
Cayman is small and policies must put Caymanians first and can be done without stifling the continued over development if that is what Caymanians want.
Love my birthplace, cherish my birthright.
And look at the poor workmanship done by some of these ‘construction’ workers. Stand around gas stations early morning, someone with own small ‘company’ picks them up and cannot do a damn thing, not even paint a wall properly…your place is worse than it was before they stepped into it and costs you more to put it right!
Hire the right companies. You get what you pay for. If some disheveled man driving a broken down 1995 truck tells you he will do the work for a better price and you hire him and his crew, it’s your problem.
There are dozens of highly reputable, Caymanian owned companies out there. You just have to pay the real cost.
Well, I have to respectfully offer a different set of experiences. As an owner of a condo on 7MB that has needed extensive maintenance over the last 37 years, including a complete refurb after Ivan, I have nothing but praise for a multitude of workers, many of them on work permits. I am glad you did say “SOME;” implying you have also witnessed very acceptable quality for the remainder of workers.
Truth!
Trade schools and diploma colleges are for those that can’t get into university or finish high school. It’s not either or.
Not necessarily true, some may prefer a trade career route as opposed to a more academic path.
Really? Go sit your backside down in your swathes of cushions!
Earned by higher education! Which you derides.
How high ‘which you derides’ LOL
Unfortunately the “Caymanian” students of the past and currently, who cannot get good passes in their exams and made to feel that they cannot contribute to society. Their parents shove them aside and do not tell them about how much money can be earned in construction, plumbing,airconditioning repairs and other blue collar jobs. The do not tell how honourable it is. They are left to their own devices, to borrow the car and drive around doing absolutely nothing. Parents please encourage your kids, all of them and get them trained up to the best of their abilities. If you don’t then you have failed your children.
My parents never encouraged me – I exceeded their aspirations, on MY OWN!
Good for you!
Are you a boomer by any chance (I am)? Only things have changed out here in the wider world and those vocational skills and diplomas, alongside apprenticeships are increasingly becoming more popular, valuable and relevant to employers than university academics.
Now publish the salaries for these jobs and you will see why nobody wants to work in construction. Greedy developers and contractors benefiting from cheap labour!!!
I am a partner in a local construction firm.
The lowest hourly rate we pay is $12/hr. To sweep floors and clean up debris.
We currently pay up to $31/hr for skilled trades, which could easily be raised, depending on many factors.
The unemployed people are unemployed for a reason. They are unemployable. Simple as that.
Please give your contact information as I want one of your jobs.
Put together a CV that people can actually read and understand. Apply for jobs. Put on some tidy clothes (doesn’t have to be a suit and tie). Show up on time for interviews, show you are interested, be polite, follow up a few days later. If you are hired, show up and do the work.
I don’t agree my husband work for a construction company and he work hard …. He knows how to do a lot the best worker on the team and he is only getting paid 10 dollars an hours . Have to pay for his own work permit and his own insurance. I told him to speak up but he need his job to provide for the family. It’s sad that people go there to become financially stable but only to be treated like trash . It has to get better SMH
I’ve been in the industry over 20 years and I see alot of guys like your husband who is afraid to speak up because they lack confidence. encourage him to attend a few workshops, polish his CV up and I promise you if he’s as good as you think he is, he can easily double his current wage.
Not bad but skilled Caymanians made more than $31 in the 80’s/early 90’s.
Whoever is surprised by the numbers has been living at the bottom of the Cayman Trench for the last 20 years. This is blatantly obvious every time you enter a supermarket or bank. The only people benefiting from all this construction is….zzzzzzz
LTD Da Unboozler.
Dart benefits when they hammer down the prices. New batch of workers coming in from Cuba.
Most businesses “hammer down the prices.” They are not a non-profit, so you have no complaints that Dart acts like businesses all over the world – you have no logical argument – grow up and take responsibility for what you have done to your country.
No you are correct, they are just plain cheap and greedy plus want to have the lifestyle of the rich and famous for themselves. So lets keep importing all these people from every impoverished place on the planet, letting them live in crappy conditions so that the handful can have champagne cocktails and caviar.
Yup, we did this to ourselves, now we get to pay the cost of our ignorance.
And that 27% are so called paper Caymanians
and also, mostly, Jamaicans.
And many of the paper Caymanians are not paper Caymanians. They are spouses of Caymanians or other categories of expat not needing work permits.
What is a proper Caymanian?
Enlighten us.
A Donkey driver; a West Bay woman beater; A Cocaine dealer;… All repeatedly re-elected as ‘the best Cayman can produce.’
Well, for a start, people that are loyal to this country in preference to any other.
So why are you allowing it to be destroyed by your own?
12.07pm One born of at least one born Caymanian parent and at least one Caymanian born Grandparent. Should have been put in the Constitution then us Caymanians wouldn’t have to get confirmation from WORC that we’re Caymanian.
Ok, now let’s see the same numbers for cruise/stayover tourism.
Lets see the numbers for the civil service
Its easier to be paid handouts and stay home than actually go out and work is the problem…
Sadly it is no longer Caymanians who benefit from NAU, it is the children and grandchildren of status granted Jamaicans getting the payouts.
Thanks Mac, and hope Saunders, Seymour and Kenny will also thank him for generating so many voters for them.
Status Grants are Caymanians, like it or not.
Not if the grants were void for illegality, including if they were paid for.
No such thing as.a Caymanian. They are all BOTC’s, like it or not.
Some worked for it, put the years in and that includes some Jamaicans, UK and others, do not disrespect them as you would not have a roof over your head…some didn’t
Just not multi-generational Caymanian as of right.
“it is the children and grandchildren of status granted Jamaicans getting the payouts.”
So…Caymanians
This is a shocking discovery, I’m gonna have to pray about this
Good for you. While you’re at it, pray for more brain cells to make constructive comments instead of trying to drag religion into the subject.
Thank you for praying. This will help greatly. I wonder what Jesus would have done with this immigrant situation? Let us not forget his father was a carpenter and his lovely wife was Mary and she was a virgin that gave birth to baby Jesus in a stable on Christmas Day.
Correctio, 27% of those working legally in construction are Caymanian.
Instead of ummming and ahhhhing about the obvious issue of skills gap why not establish an accredited trades school. Why is has this been suggested so many times but totally ignored by past and present administrations?
Instead our politicians squander money on an unnecessary school in the Brac, a silly park in Kennyville, turn the heart of George Town into a forever construction zone, and whine again of needing an already voted down cruise ship dock.
A blind man can see what’s been going on construction industry for at least 2 decades, importing cheap Jamaican and Filipino labour while doing absolutely nothing to incentivise and up-skill Caymanians.
These clowns keep telling us they’re working on the betterment of Cayman for but for who exactly, Jamaica and other cheap labour source states?
We wouldn’t need to squander $150,000,000. or more on a new prison, if some of that wasted money could be spent on trade schools to teach Caymanians skills and keep them out of prison.
There’s some pretty slick salesman out there blowing money on ‘consultants’, and nobody seems to care.
We certainly don’t need a referendum on this, just plain common sense.
As a good start, government should put a stop to the ongoing bleed of millions to “new prison” consultants, and divert those funds to the benefit of training Caymanians for the job market.
Northward needs upgrading, but not at the cost of bankrupting the country. Take some of the millions demanded by overseas experts appointed by a Cayman based entrepreneur with much to gain.
It seems that a number of writers forget that back in the 1970/80’s the then Government had a Trade School behind the Library and headed by a Mr Patterson. It did not last and as I recall another attempt was made in the late 1990’s to create another one. It must have failed. It has not been for a lack of trying. “You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”!
Don’t reinvent the wheel and make a trade school from scratch.
Make a deal with a trade school in the states, have a loan that gets forgiven after completion with a work commitment, make Dart guarantee employment for year after graduation.
A better investment than, say, a 1.2 million dollar referendum.
I have been meaning to ask when will the following public facilities be fixed: Gun Bay dock and Lobster Pot dock. Seems North side getting all they need, but the rest of the public docks around the island not being repaired.
Two months after Beryl damaged the SS boardwalk there was someone there today looking at the damage….
World class?
Yep, I can hear it now from the Cabinet Ministers: Lets give some more developer finance concessions in order to create more jobs for Caymanians.
This takes money directly away from Govt revenue and still does not help Caymanians get jobs because the expat labour is cheaper.
But what it does is the following: those persons making the decision to grant the financial / duty concession (that is no money to CIG) then charge the developer less than what the duty concession was, and the developer pays the decision makers behind closed doors, but the CIG and the public dont benefit from those payments.
The public dont get the money, the Caymanians dont get a job, but the decision makers driving new cars and living in big homes, living good life while we still struggling.
Now you are picking on the new project on Pageant Beach which the imported French contractor is really reaping the benefits of all the buy a work permit labor and duty concessions. Honorable Seymour and the rest of you high dollar representatives, where are you? Why aren’t you out there looking out for your Caymanian people? Is it to hot for you? Do you fools ever think that all these foreign companies are just laughing at how stupid you are as the peoples representative? You all are very revolting.
Legge was right…..a new dawn is coming, a new government elected by the people for the people.
Exactly right, and the Labour “Minister” kicking the long overdue mimimum wage increase down the road tells me all I need to know about him.
If we wanted to increase employment of Caymanians, we would pay them a living wage. If we want to continue to overbuild for the benefit of wealthy developers, using low wage imported labour, then we will keep things the way they are.
Better that he kicks and walks down the road than drive!
At $6/hr it’s hard to get anyone, let alone those with any pertinent skills, or experience. Retaining those with real talent is also mission impossible at that hourly rate, without holding and exercising some kind of permit leverage over the worker. There are no Caymanians in that world. Raise the minimum wage to $12/hour and half our work permits go home. Many of the new developer plans would get mothballed, which would suit many Caymanians just fine. It would reduce pressure on our infrastructure including: dump, port, roads, and housing. Drugs, numbers, and crime would also plummet.
Not true. As a small construction company owner I can tell you my lowest paid low skilled worker gets paid $18 per hour.
Problem with construction jobs is you need to be tough, show up regardless and endure less than ideal conditions.
Stay in school kids!!!
Learn everything you can kids, yes plumbing, electrical, mechanical, carpentry….make yourself a millionaire in construction in your own company as some of my family did whi never went to school, not in Cayman but the construction owners in Cayman are not suffering. School is good but not for everyone, be smart, learn and experience.
I know some construction workers are earning between $10 to $25 per hour. It is tough and hard work. you must able work outside all day long.
I want one of those $25.00 hour jobs, please post your contact information.
Yes please I will work for $18.00, please put your phone number up. Thank you
You are an expat that wants more than you are worth. Make Cayman better and go back to whatever paradise you came from. And don’t let the door hit your rear on the way out.
Spoken like a CIG funded unemployable.
I assume you have the mobility to walk and work construction. Use what you have to go out and look for those jobs yourself! Your post is a huge part of the problem – “Send a job to me, I don’t want to go look for one.” Every job I had in 65 years resulted from “MY EFFORT TO IMPROVE MY SITUATION.”
Yeah same story. You want to earn $25 an hour but you don’t have the skills needed for that job. But you still think you are entitled to the pay because you are Caymanian. Please just try to think logically for a few minutes.
I own a construction company, and nobody gets paid $6hr. Rates vary from $12-$20hr depending on trade/experience. This is also the standard for a majority of companies. A select few give the rest a bad name. Worker reliability is the main reasoning behind Caymanians not being in the construction industry, not money and the quicker people look in the mirror and stop sugar coating that fact the better. Also, Wesley Howell needs to understand that Caymanian businesses that are majority Caymanian support the construction industry so what he is saying is nonsense. ALTs/Cox, the concrete companies, MEP companies, planning department hire hundreds of Caymanians between them who would all be unemployed if not for construction.
All you blow bags with your high paying jobs certainly are scared to put your contact details up. Afraid that Caymanians may get those jobs and then you will loose your work permit workers? Certainly seems hypocritical.
As you type from your momma’s couch – and doing nothing to look for employment. Jobs are there – put your panties on and go look.
because we don’t want people such as yourself to show up to our offices expecting $20 per hour but don’t know how to put a drill in reverse.
Government track record tells you all you need to know, they do not want Caymanians in the construction industry. that’s the only conclusion I can come to as to why there is yet to be a robust trade school. I’m a Caymanian in the industry and every business owner I know is ready to hire qualified Caymanians in every field especially in AC, electrical and plumbing.
The pay is shit that’s why.
The pay is not shit. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing easily starting around $60k per year and at or above six figures with overtime very quick.
Finish carpenters, same. Masons, maybe not quite as high but still pretty good. Drywall and painters, also not bad.
The only pay that’s “shit” would be the laborers on site who are there just to lift heavy stuff. Anything with a proper skill will get you proper money. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or ill informed.
what were you offered?
27% seems surprisingly high considering the number of permits issued at the moment.
Mostly “new Caymanians”.
You wouldn’t qualify for status at $6 per hour
The 27% number is grossly inflated. It includes a significant numbers of persons who are not legally Caymanian. Even then, it would be interesting, and highly relevant, to know the nationality of origin of the Caymanians.
Maybe if they were to crack down on all the “buy a work permit” people out here running around contracting and cutting prices, then Caymanian’s would look at these jobs. The developers do not want this to happen because with these work permit people they can treat them however they want including not following the labor laws. Why isn’t the Minister for Labor Seymour answering any of these questions?
Defiantly need to rid the industry of the permit holders working out of the trunk of their little cars taking on contracts they have no right to be taking on
Does that mean all the mamoram people?
Because he is laying low after that terrible accident.
I thought the last labor study showed roughly 50% (give or take) were Caymanian?
But also there’s a very misleading piece of this article which is that it doesn’t explain how it’s supposed to work when an industry is growing at a rate faster than the job training for Caymanians. Wes specifically mentioned civil engineers. That’s a four year degree just to start. So if we’ve been booming for some number of years of course civil engineers are going to lag behind.
Also let’s remember there are more construction workers than any other industry in the country, over 7000. That’s about 1900 Caymanians. I’d be willing to be that’s more than in tourism. I’m sure it’s more than in financial services. And I’m also sure they’re making more money than plenty of local retail outfits and other things.
This is only really exploring one side of a two-sided (at least) coin.
Do not believe what the ESO tells you.