Rivers calls for job transparency
Tara Rivers, Minister of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs
(CNS): The employment minister is calling for all jobs available in the Cayman Islands to be posted with the National Workforce Development Agency and not just before a work permit is coming up for renewal. Tara Rivers said that she wants to see employers reveal all the jobs not held by locals long before permit holders’ contracts expire to give Caymanians an opportunity to prepare and train if necessary for what will be future vacancies.
Falling short of supporting calls for business staff plans to be made public, Rivers said she wanted to see much more transparency. She said that certain elements of a business staffing plan may hold corporate information that does not need to be in the public domain but the jobs that firms have should all be public and transparent.
“All information about jobs and training should be available to job seekers,” Rivers said, as she outlined the concept of a centralised platform at the NWDA where anyone looking for work could see not just immediate vacancies but posts held by permit holders that are going to become available in the future that local job seekers could aim to fill.
The minister said that if the unemployed don’t know what is out there or what is required to secure those jobs in the future, they will continue to be turned down by employers because of their lack of relevant skills.
“Whether it is being able to see what is available for those ready for work today or preparing for work tomorrow, vacancies need to be posted with the NWDA,” she said.
Following the release of a report by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Unemployment, the minister said there was a need for re-training among the islands’ long term unemployed but they had to be given the opportunity to know what employers are looking for and to focus on the skills gaps regarding the jobs they want.
Rivers acknowledged that there would always be a need for overseas labour but she said local workers should be aware of the jobs that exists to pave the way for them to begin to match the criteria.
Category: Jobs, Local News
The national work force is a joke, it was set up to make the people believe that they are looking out for the caymanian, but it’s false.
The only people making money are the recruiter companies. In order for this unployment to work, social services, national work force and immigration should join as one and for sure caymanian will find a job.
Here is my story. I made Cayman my home 20 years ago and love it dearly not least because of the weather. I bought a small business five years ago and have struggled to hang on to Caymanian staff despite putting in place good training. They phone in regularly sick (if they even bother to phone), when at work they have to be micro managed as if left to their own devices the job does not get done and they never ever are proactive. When they are “managed” delicately they take offence. All have been very pleasant but effectively not willing to work. I quite understand that I am getting staff at the lower end of the market and would not necessarily assume the behaviours I have witnessed are endemic but if my experience is anything to go by then it is no wonder Caymanians have difficulty getting jobs (if in fact that is the case).
ummmmmm doesn’t immigration have a list of all the permits…? Can’t they just pull that data and use it to help people train up? They don’t even need to name the companies. It’s never going to change the fact that there just aren’t enough people to fill all the positions, but if the list will help people feel more dedicated to learning, CIG has always had the info. Why are they acting like it’s some great mystery…?
This is the hard facts. I am a business owner who been in business from 1983, from the time my business been in operation we only had about 5 caymanians working. Why only 5, becuase they don’t want to start work at 6am and when they get paid, they don’t come to work the following day and then they say the work is too hard.
I am a caymanian and I will help them as much as possible. But the hard truth is they don’t want to put in a hard days work. That’s why work permits on a all time high.
Another thing is that a caymanian cannot survive working for 6,7 or even 8 dollars an hour here on the island, even with full Benifitts. A person coming here from a developing country will be happy to work for 6,7 or 8 dollars an hour, to them that’s is a lot back home.
These politicians trying to fix a simple problem by applying the most complicated method there is. Cost of living will remain high if the people don’t realize we need imported cheap labour here to live the lifestyle we all want. Domestic helpers, gardeners, care takers and etc..
I wish I knew who your business is do I could get as many Caymanians to boycott you for painting us all with the same brush.
Minister,
Ok that’s fine but then all recieving benefits should be required to register with nwda as a condition of receiving unemployment. They must have a current CV vetted by NWDA which includes education, work history, references, skills, experience, etc.
We need to hold everyone accountable. All those 98% who are not work ready should be mandatorily enrolled in specific courses to address their skill or education gaps. Failure to attend those courses should result in ceasing of benefits.
Furthermore, all unemployed offered a position which matches their qualifications and experience must be forced to take it, just like businesses are forced to take on the enemployed. They cannot have a choice which unemployed although they can continue to be registered with nwda to obtain a more suitable position.
What is the point of listing all positions if 98% of candidates are not work ready? Let’s focus on both sides of the problem but focus more on the bigger problem – the fact that our people are not work ready!
Let’s stop babying our fellow Caymanians with preferential treatment and remind them that their future begins with them. What happened to the work ethic our forefathers demonstrated? Our forefathers fended for themselves without handouts working hard to make a living. Where are those values?
CAYMANIANS only have their fellow CAYMANIANS to blame!!! Foreigners like me are working here because CAYMANIANS hired me.
But, in a few short years CAYMAN will have a much bigger problem – when Cuba opens up to the USA – Cayman will revert to being the Cayman of pre-1960 and plenty of foreigners will be gone.
God Bless the Cayman Islands, as much as it has Blessed me to work and support my family that is thousands of miles away.
If the Cayman Islands Government doesn’t open their eyes sooner than later, we will soon find many Caymanians in the streets begging for money and food.
I have notice lately, many brothers and sisters Caymanians looking for jobs without any luck, there are so many expats receiving residency and Cayman status, that major banks and companies, as soon as such expats achieve such goal, they are laying off their Caymanians staff by claiming reduction of business when it’s not true, as now, those foreigners can be counted as locals by law, so why keep the locals employed, I can only imagine for how long is this going to continue?
When the government will take full charge and demand that not a few, but all companies and banks provide a head count report of the current expats employed, including those that have gained status and residency, against Caymanians employed and layoff lately, trust me, this will probably be a shock to all of us, but again, I firmly believe that the government is not very interested on such serious problem, they are only doing some make believe investigations, just to say that they are interested or worried and are going after it, but in truth, many Caymanians are now jobless and I have encounter thus far 45 friends that have current lost their jobs after expats gained their residencies.
So how long will this continue, how long will take for the Labor Law Department to notice such discrepancy and the unfairness at work against Caymanians?
I few so sorry for those that have lost their jobs and are consider truly born Caymanians, that are now facing losing their homes, not able to feed their families, their insurances coverages are lost and many other benefits, just because the government is failing to proper analyzing the true facts, that by giving too many residencies and status to foreigners, they are forgetting their own people and that the ones that will pay for that lost position will be our own people that should be occupying such work positions.
I seriously warn those that are in charge at the government to wake up and place heavy fines to companies and banks that are doing such thing, our people are crying out for mercy with these lost positions, please do something sooner than later, because tomorrow, it can be too late.
If foreigners have gained their residency and soon after Caymanians were layoff, such companies should be fined and forced to re-hired those already layoff, if there are many positions occupied in excess by foreigners and not matched with our own local people, they should be penalized, moreover, also prior to layoff locals, to first layoff all those that requires work permits or have gain residency, this would make things more difficult, thus protecting the future of the Cayman Islands families workers.
Mrs. Tara Rivers and the Cayman Islands Government, PLEASE WAKE UP, we need a task force that will regulate and will protect the Cayman Labor force and not just by only saying that will or are planning to do something, but to act upon this very serious problem that is plaguing our own people, but please, before it becames too late.
What a load of old rubbish.
“What a load of old rubbish”
Well, you said that because you are not the one facing losing your home, neither is in need of medical assistance as many I have meet is, all funds are coming from their own savings and they are running out of cash as we speak and all that you have worked for during all these years, majority of people and I can say 92% of the folks that have lost their jobs, was because of the foreigners gaining residency and soon after these people were layoff, so think about.
Sadly, it may sound “rubbish” to you, but to see friends with 2 and some with 3 kids losing their houses is heart breaking situation.
Yes, it also may sound like an old problem or issue, but at the Cayman Islands current situation, with few and far between jobs available, the government should be paying attention more closely to the locals needs more than ever.
In regards to global economy, that is also a true, but other countries do protect their own labor force at all cost, try to find a job somewhere else, they make all kind of difficulties to you to obtain their very close guard positions for their people and only if there are no qualified personal is that they may open it for you, but again, with a lots of restrictions, where I was even told that, if they found locals that would fulfill the position, I would be dismissed without any question ask during the time I was in the university years ago.
But that was only my advice and no offense to no one here, we must protect our jobs or we all will face the consequence in the future.
I thought the fact that people weren’t getting PR was the previous scandal and now people are getting it based on the contributor above….make your mind up!
Lose the entitled attitude and Cayman and Caymanians will flourish. You still think you live on a small Island? You don’t. You are part of a global economy and you have to compete with it regardless of whether expats are here or not, otherwise there will be no jobs here at all. Harsh, yes, true, absolutely.
A Sodom and Gomorrah Society brought on by those who sit in church, professing their Christianity, selling out their fellow Countrymen for the almighty dollar. I also know of those who lost their Medical coverage, homes, etc., and are unable to find gainful employment. Especially due to unfair firing. ‘Redundant’ is also key. I wholeheartedly agree about the counting of expats. Records should also be reviewed of those who bought, for pennies, inland properties with no road access, solely to gain Status/Residency. Expats have already done their homework prior to landing on the rock, as they are solely friends with each other, not the people of the Country they came to ‘rape’. Partying seems to be the common denominator.
Given the points for residency for owning a house or real estate are dependent on the amount paid, paying pennies for land wouldn’t really work. But hey, just like the poster at 12:04pm, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good old fashioned bigoted rant.
So the people who sold those properties had no choice? Wutless whining about the unimportant.
Whilst I have human sympathy for those struggling in our society, I suggest your brothers and sisters as you call them, should understand that those who have jobs also have education.
Stay at school, work hard , leave with proficiency in Math and English, follow the examples of successful people in dress and manners, and you too will find employment.
What is the incentive for students to value their education when they are raised knowing their Country favors hiring Work Permit holders? They hear it from their struggling families, friends, community…those who ARE educated are not being hired, of all ages….
Such a defeatist attitude. Once again blame prejudice for the problem when in fact it’s lack of education and bad attitude. You ask what incentive is there for people to get educated when their Country favours work permits? Well what incentive is there for employers to hire locals who don’t bother to lift a finger to help themselves. I tried to help once through the multitude of programs available. Prep for success. Ya, hired someone through that. Within weeks had to fire that person for making death threats against their fellow Caymanians in the workplace in front of customers. This kind of thing happened over and over. Another local I hired quite the day he was supposed to start. How many times does this have to happen to an employer before they no longer feel an “incentive” to hire locals?
It’s exactly your kind of attitude that causes the problem. Why should you bother to value education? Because you want a job and no one is going to hand it to you without one. It’s not the duty of the private sector to train people who don’t put any effort into getting themselves ready for work.
-Isme
If that is your attitude you are clearly part of the problem.
Attitude,getting to work on time, working when at work, and not treating every instruction from your boss as an insult , would really help.
They hear it from their families, etc., with a victim mentality. The rest of us are telling our kids, etc., hard work, etc., will get you far just as it got us.
This isn’t saying there aren’t unfairnesses that should be addressed but if you ‘drop out’ then you will fail. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Same with those of us who said ‘next time’ often enough to get ahead despite everything.
Caymanians are competing globally for jobs, even if we never leave Cayman. We have to adopt that mindset. Whether we’re applying for the job in London or the Brit is applying for the job in Cayman we’re competing on work ethic, skills, education and experience (corporate fit) in a global marketplace. Its been that way since we were shipping out on National Bulk and its not going to change any time soon.
My sons are educated and hired. Have they looked at their work ethic, conduct themselves properly at an interview, filling out applications correctly without spelling mistakes and bad hand writing, showing up on time for the interview, dressing appropriately, etc?
Complete bollocks Rhett. We, amongst many others, would much rather emply Caymanians than expats, we would not have to pay the ridiculous WP fees. However, we rarely find anyone who is employable. They forget to show up for interviews, turn up scruffy or high on something, or the first thing they say is don’t expect me to work 8 hours a day. They have no idea what business needs and the government and industry need to work together with kids from a young age to show them what they need to do. Being Caymanian is not a qualification.
The major problem with your argument is that it cannot be true, as there have been NO grants of permanent residency for expats since the change in the rules in late 2013.
Could that rant be any more pathetic and self-pitying? And of course, the racism bubbles out from anyone using the term “truly born Caymanains”. Why don’t you grow a pair and take some self-responsibility rather than blaming others for not pandering to your mediocrity?
You are SO Right. Thank you!
So sad to see this but we have to accept some of us may have to leave our country to get better opportunities. Nepotism is the main killer of willing and able young Caymanians to find employment. Because of who someone may have some family connection to they are given interviews and jobs it happens in all the major firms. UCCI doesn’t have the accreditations attached to their degree programs needed for young Caymanians to really get opportunities. We have to relocate its becoming our only chance. Going to school overseas and possibly remaining there for work after seems like the logical thing to do or moving to the UK.
You can go to the UK without requiring a permit to work though yep? Welcome to the 21st Century! “Some of us may have to leave to find employment”? What planet are you on? Every country in the world has the same issues – either move and find a place/challenge or strangle in mediocrity! Sorry…
What would be you suggestion Sir/Madam? Seriously your response shows that you lack the ability to internalize what is being said. Globalization is the real world and even in this country that exist, Many persons have relocated and received work visas across the globe persons who are from here that have seen what is clearly going on have decided that is the best course of action. Sometimes I have to wonder.
I meant no true offence but the actual situation is that a Caymanian may up sticks and go to live/work/draw the dole/have free medical care in the UK but a UK citizen may not come here and do the same.. Cayman owes their very existence to the UK & for good or bad that fact is not up for debate.. There are no indigenous people in Cayman.. Nobody called here home until 1658 or so and the first settler was from the UK and in the grand scale of things 358 years of habitation is a mere drop in the well of some 200,000 years of human history.. So in fact everyone here is more of short stay tourist rather than even an expat! Neither am i trying to belittle the history of the place as it is rich and varied (and more than a little muddy) but it is a history of transience and seafaring and of carving a niche for oneself.. The question is whether the niche can grow or fester and become obsolete..
You are simply wrong. Only full British Citizens have the right to go to the UK as you suggest. Most Caymanians are not full British Citizens and indeed, many thousands are not even British Overseas Territories Citizens.
If you required a passport to come here then you are not indigenous.
Yes, it’s one solution and many are already doing it. Our fathers had to go to sea or go abroad back in the day to make a living, so, it’s not unheard of.
Yes that makes sense, because the whole world can come to Cayman and find work, but the people of Cayman have to go out in the world to get the same jobs that are available in Cayman…..Brilliant..
If the opportunities are not here for young Caymanians to get based on the issues I stated at the beginning then that’s what has to be done. What would you suggest? The persons before you have not suggested any logical alternative. So I as a young Cayman should I not explore the world for opportunities? Should I remain in post where there is no growth because other Caymanians may get opportunities over me not because of experience or qualifications but because they are related to someone? Its not expats that are the problem its our own.
Is there a list for those who are willing to work when there is heavy rain?
I commend the owner of the new gas station in Prospect. I am pleasantly surprised when I pull over there for gas and see guys that had no work and guys who had messed up some attending the pumps. They are all my Caymanian boys and they are working so efficiently. It goes to show that if given a chance good results can be had. Congrats to them and to those that had confidence in them.
NWDA is nothing but a bunch of caymanians who should be unemployed (yes I know some of them) giving the perception the government (who should also be unemployed) is doing something besides ignoring the regulations and laws, established by people better than them, for the sake of work permit fees.
I see a lot of the locals being genuinely forthcoming in selling themselves and their products these days. However, it is usually in the bars and the products they are selling are illegal !
WTF?
Who are their customers?
Weeks ago I posted an advert for a car wash person with NWDA and ads in the paper as well, starting salary $6 p hr including training and up to now I have only 1 response, from a Girl ! Solve that one and maybe the moon and stars will magically fall in line with each other PS I’m 10 generations Csymanian and washed hundreds of cars personally
It’s probably too much like hard work as there’s no sitting involved, plus they wouldn’t be able to whatsapp their mates or check their Facebook every 5 mins as they’d get their phone would get wet.
I really don’t get this “I am third, fourth, fifth, tenth generation caymanion” bull. Honestly it shows a distinct lack of understanding of the nature of citizenship.
Wow I believe in freedom of speech but comments on here are in poor taste. You are happy now. Money is coming your way. You enjoy the benefits of these islands but stop and think how people of these islands are feeling about not having an opportunity to feel the same.
I have news for many of you who feel that Caymanians are in jobs they can not do. There are many people arriving for jobs the same, no clue how to get the job done.
I know that many of you hop from country to country for work. Many Caymanians can’t. Many don’t want to. Why? Because this is home. Our home.
-Educated and qualified Caymanian
If you are as you claim, educated and qualified then you will know that the problem is education, relevant qualifications and attitude. If you could straighten out your attitude to stop feeling sorry but start sorting the issues out, maybe we would get somewhere. And don’t forget the same cry me a River told us yesterday that there are virtually no unemployed. She needs to make up her mind ….
Sheesh why do Cayman politicians make this so complicated. It is perfectly simple – fix your education system (both for children and adults) so that skills required in the Cayman economy are available. Identifying those skills and experience is not difficult and does not need any system of posting job ads at NWDA or business plans or whatever. For example:
Bartender – High school grad level of literacy/numeracy, experience – bartending or similar.
Diving instructor – High school grad level of literacy/numeracy, dive master qual, experience diving instruction.
Accountant – Degree level literacy/numeracy, CPA, CA or similar qual, experience – accounting
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work this out:
Rocket scientist – higher degree in rocket science, experience – rocket science.
Government minister – no qualifications or experience necessary nor even desired – just the right passport (negotiable). Inability to see the bleeding obvious – essential.
Just proves that CIG has no clue about what business really need.
The best way to get people employed is to improve the basic education system and to grow the economy. Stop trying to manipulate the labour market. Just produce a more competitive labour product and increase the demand for labour. The “problem” will take care of itself from there.
agreed – with 98% of those registered as unemployed classified as not ready for work what point would this serve? – this is just scoring political points
We were all employed before you all drifted up on our shores.
Really? Full employment. You must write a book about that and sell to other governments!
No you were not. The economy requires driftwood to function even at a minimal level. It’s not a zero-sum game. Send 10 expats away and you will not end up with 10 open jobs. You will end up with a slightly smaller economy and perhaps 6 or 7 jobs. The more expats you bring in (up to a point) the more the economy expands and the more work becomes available. Take some economics before saying something so silly and xenophobic and flat out wrong.
-Isme
Isme – I like your maths. A 60% unemployment reduction rate means that the ‘thousand’ expat-residents we’d have to sacrifice would be worth it for achieving 0% unemployment. – Please, change your argument because your current one doesn’t say what you meant it to.
I don’t understand your argument at all. Do you really think that by reducing the GDP of a country that it will be good for the unemployment rate? Do you really think these people are unemployed for the simple reason that an expat “stole” their job? I disagree with those ideas.
-Isme
Employed overseas. You can tell that fool fool story to some johnny come lately but my father is a WWII veteran so I know better. The women stayed home and the men went to sea.
Ignoring that a fair amount of your men had to go to see and work for “foreign” companies to make ends meet and send money back home.
Actually that is not true. the men folk had to go to sea.
Really, the NWDA makes it hard enough for businesses as it is. And you want even more from us. You are chasing companies off island because doing anything and everything is becoming so much of a challenge and time consuming. You will end up shooting yourself in the foot Cayman
11:27
If this plan of Tara will get some of you businesses off this island it would be a God bless. We had a wonderful community before many of you came to scavenge our way of life. Our governments are a bunch of greedy bastards who keep keep bringing you here.
Excuse me! You would not have a decent life if it wasn’t for us “scavengers” spending money in your shops, bars, renting your apartments etc. Who would pay your 22% duty and work permit fees that subsides your way of life?
Mount Trashmore grew too fast because too many people came too fast and no consideration the infrastructure.
Tell that to the Caymanians who worked for BNP and are now unemployed.
Ms. Rivers is waking up and standing up for Caymanians, I’m happy to see she see now what I seen long time ago , keep it up and you would be re -elected .
Sharky I’m onboard with Tara also. Something has to be done with these immigrants taking away what we worked hard for….our opportunities, businesses and jobs. Germany is overwhelmed with immigrants and now kicking more than 50% of them out of her country, most European states are doing the same. Their racist, culture, greed and way of life is making it harder for Caymanians to survive.
OMG……you really believe this deluded rubbish!
Please Lord let this be sarcastic.
sarcasm Bobo
noun
1.
harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2.
a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark:
Tara has a good idea finally! Now lets see if she can follow through and have it implemented?
In all societies there are people who do not want to work or do not either have the skillset or capabilities to do certain job types. Surprise surprise because in Cayman we have them too! Instead of importing people to work on the roads, empty the bins, work behind bars etc force these people to take those jobs instead of this “pie in the sky” that Caymanians expect highly paid skilled jobs. Accept that in a small island like Grand Cayman, imported workforces will always be required when people just don’t want “certain” types of jobs. And Ms Rivers your lack of understanding of your own government departments astounds me! Should you be the “right” person to be Education Minister?!
Agree with Tara. Nota a big fan of her but she is right this time. I am a Caymanian with 15 years experience as a middle to senior manager in trust and wealth management having worked for 2 major banks.My bank is exiting Cayman. I have a Masters and two professional qualifications. I have applied to five job ads over the last 3 months. Not even an interview call. Several of my Caymanian co-workers with 10 plus years are in the same boat- apply but no interview call. I personally have given a $ 1000 to 2 co-workers because they ran out of money and are yet to get an interview call. I challenge any expat worker to a test of competency….. but I need an interview first. I have 2 weeks of work and then the paychecks stop.
Feel for you. In the same boat myself as several banks/trust companies have folded in Cayman over the last 2 years.There are literally over a thousand admisnistrator / middle to senior manager work permit holders in Cayman . Yet locals- in dozens if not hundreds – cannot find work. For those who are commenting below- please note here – 2 willing Caymanians are putting in black and white their plight.
If all what you say is true, then provide us with more info. Where did you get your Masters, what are your professional qualifications and what position do you hold in your current job. We hear many sob stories like these from Caymanians, but often all is not what it seems.
Stop adding insult to injury! Why would anyone lie about Masters? Who r u to question? You going give an interview for a job? What business you in? Sounds like prejudice to Caymanians! Go back where u come from!
Andrea the majority against Tara’s plan and the Caymanians are the parasites who wants to take over our country. One only has to observe the thumb-downs against Caymanians. I beg to ask them…who ran things long before they drifted up on our shores? We didn’t need them then we don’t need them now. Our stupid governments have expanded our little island through ego. Trying to compete with the globalist World. We were happy long before now.
The depth of ignorance of this comment is astounding.
What about the Caymanian “parasites” who sit home and just collect social services, they bitch, whine and complain like it is governments obligation to take care of them. Being on the “pa-pa” list was seldom heard of years ago- because adults took care of their parents, grandparents and children
We had many top positions filled by expats that didn’t have the qualifications they claimed they had so good question.
And there you have the sort of attitude at the root of many of the problems.
Have you applied to the Shetty Hospital? They appear to be looking for staff
Perhaps some of the 98% of jobseekers who are not ready for work could get a job there – they could look up the position at NWDA, as per Minister Rivers plans, think “that looks just for me that job – heart surgeon”, and in the year or so before the work permit renewal get the skills needed to do that job.
How does this non-specified Masters degree apply to what you currently do, or hope to do? It’s a material omission. An MA in Medieval Studies or French Literature, might make you feel valuable and a more interesting person at the water cooler (which I’m sure you are), but sadly, it wouldn’t necessarily contribute anything professionally in the trust administration world. If you were an MBA, CA or TEP, those would be a more appropriate qualifications to cite on a resume. Have you rung the bell the HR depts of the firms you expect to roll out opportunities for you? With due respect, it sounds like you need to get off your tuffet and be more pro-active in selling yourself. Managers will create a position if they are convinced your addition will add bottom line revenue. Good luck.
Even if I had a MA in French lit. I still have 15 yrs experience working for a bank and trust company. You and your ilk are more interested in keeping things as they are and keep caymanians down. I do have 2 of the 3 designations you mention or else I wouldn’t have been hired and promoted over 15 yrs. I also applied for jobs where the job description suited my profile. I am a manager in a bank not an imbecile. Your scorn is stunning towards caymanians
Sadly you are a victim of the inane zero sum game mentality of this government. By upping costs and making recruitment harder at a time when Cayman is a toxic brand businesses have been driven away from Cayman and those that do hire are going to be conservative and that means having a tendency towards expat over local labor.
anon 115 if we are beggars in our own country of what use is the countrys success? So you can come here and make money. Please stop talking stupidness.
Caveman economics at play.
This government has not upped costs. In fact since elected in May 1013 they reduced import duty on fuel, general import duty, trade and business license fees.to name a few. And still managed to balance the budget, pay civil servants a modest salary increase after none for many years and put money in the bank for a rainy day. Oh and make much needed improvements to the airport that the previous bunch were too busy helping themselves to do.
If Caymanians don’t have anything to lose, guess what?
Question – how will Rivers’ current proposal help your situation(s)? How will knowing that a job will be advertised in two years time help you now?
Note – I’m not disagreeing there is an ‘unemployment of employables’ problem. (Lets call it under-employment, to be euphemistic and feed the trolls. And separate it from unemployability.) But I will say that Tara’s current proposal will not address this problem. Or any other. (We have several sources of ‘unemployment’.)
I Advise all Caymanian applicants to cc Immigration Work Permit and NWDA on your cover letter because they tell the Work Permit Boards no Caymanians applied and Immigration have nothing to prove different. Cut out the advertisement of job applied for and send it in with a cover letter addressed to work permit Board with name of advertisingcompany as a reference so work permit board will see they are lying if they say no Caymanian applied. When they see you ccd the Work permit board you will get an interview and the job once you qualify. I did this after applying for dozens of jobs and got the job I copied the work permit board on! They just hate Caymanians! They jealous of our status and want to take what’s ours but it got to stop. If we can’t get jobs nobody else shouldn’t either!
Anyone who does that will see their application binned as a troublemaker. Quite rightly too.
Ask the writer up above at 8:16PM how that all worked out for her.
Wow that is ridiculous! You should make sure that you let immigration know that you applied for the positions advertised (after a quick follow-up call to the HR department about when they were planning on holding interviews). Also dont worry too much – your skills are valuable and you will find something soon. Get out there and dont be afraid to lean on all the contacts you have made over the last 15 years – unfortuately job seeking is almost like being a full-time sales position, you are selling yourself. Go get em and best of luck to you!
10:23
But they say we are not competent!
Another imaginary beast, like the unicorn and the kraken.
Meanwhile, what is this government doing to encourage local entrepreneurs or small business startups so that people can hope to pursue their dreams? Next to nothing. They cancelled the small business loan program altogether.
This regime continues the age-old backward mentality of reverse skill matching to an existing (and receding financial) job market in hopes of displacing an expat. The career journey starts off wrong by emphasizing superficial salary and title goals, with prescribed education path on how to get there; rather than pairing people to career paths according to personal values, interests, and skills. This generates unhappy (albeit financially viable) people rather than happy productive career people that look forward to overcoming tomorrow’s challenges.
The NWDA should be a modern professional Career Counselling Agency with all the available evaluation tools to give people the right career advice to provide HAPPINESS. There is no excuse for this. Some people are better suited to be firemen than accountants, or working for themselves in their own start-up business. There ought to be no social stigma against that – and organized help for those with a business plan that makes commercial sense.
And we could start her suggestion by posting a job description for “Education Minister” to see if she fits the job spec!
No one is out of work who is able to work and wants to work.
Didn’t she just admit that 90% of the people registered with the NWDA are unemployable? Perhaps the NWDA can look at newspaper everyday and do some reconciliation work with jobs being advertised, against the permits in for approval along with their own database instead? It would be a fairly straightforward exercise, there’s only 10% of those registered who seem to qualify as employable. Now there’s a thought.
For those other 90%, perhaps Government should just hire them year round to fill pot holes, pick up garbage and do other menial tasks as they seem to be beating a dead horse.
Just how do people in other countries manage? Oh yes, they use their brains, their initiative; educate themselves, talk to people in industry and leverage their links. The young and inexperienced take work experience jobs – which are often low paid, even for professional positions. People do their research and tenaciously apply themselves, some being successful, some not.
Very few, if any, expect to be hand fed all inside knowledge, be led to the best careers, the best jobs, then expect to usurp and oust their mentors and seasoned, lifelong experienced masters of their professions. That’s what one might do after either years of graft, or extraordinary insight and strategic maneuvers and quite a lot of luck.
Rivers, you’re a laughable buffoon, pandering to the lowest common denominator, a bit like Trump really.
In other countries, same as here, they go on the dole. – Most developed countries are having this unemployment problem made up of two parts (a) unemployment and (b) underemployment.
Other countries do not let foreign nationals do jobs locals are able to do.
Think you mean “won’t do”. Get your facts straight.
My facts are entirely straight. Certain sectors of the economy have literally driven Caymanians out. Elements of water sports and construction are prime examples.
Difficult to run a water sports company with local talent when they phone in sick, arrive late and a work ethic that is questionable. Get it straight, I don’t care who I hire as long as they are willing to work 5/6 days a week, be in the sun for 8/10 hours a day and make me loads of money. I cannot find Caymanian young people willing to do water sport jobs. I so wish I could.
Of course other countries do this – in one small Canadian city there are many many doctors from South Africa and lawyers from African countries, Jamaica, etc.
But they will let foreign nationals do those jobs that locals don’t want to do or are not qualified to do. If you have unqualified people doing those jobs you wont have those jobs for long.
Have you ever been to the uk? They will give you a passport and NI number when you grace their shores!
That’s why the UK is in the mess they are in! Traitorous leaders just like Cayman.
Actually that is not accurate. Foreign nationals do jobs locals won’t do. That’s how they establish residency – in any country.
Listen, stop beating this dead horse. Employers will find a way to keep the person they want to work for them regardless of nationality or status. I’ve seen it many times. They will beat the system if they want to. Have several seats Tara as you’re not making any difference.
The “system” has created 98% of unemployed not prepared to work. We need to address the real problems and stop pointing the finger at “others.” Blame game is easy, making personal change is very hard, but it must be done!
Hilarious. The Minister who in education has made transparency a dirty word is now calling for transparency in relation to jobs. Transparency for others but not herself. Tiresome woman!
Really? More jobs to move off island as PPM makes employing employable people impossible
Anon 738 please speed up the Exodus, we need our little country back!
How are your turtling and ropemaking skills?
Government already has a detailed listing of all jobs currently filled by work permit holders. Print out the list of permits Ms Rivers. There you have all the detailed data you need. Slice and dice it however you want. Alternatively you could just keep pointing a finger at the private sector as the root of all evil.
No kidding. From the Education Minister no less.
Another way of handling this matter of the business staffing plan ( BSP)being made public is for the data therein to be shared with the NWDA, perhaps omitting the names of the firms. In addition , the expansion of the BSP to show the qualifications/ requirements of the job could also assist with the objectives sought. A word of caution, is that the details of these revised plans would need to be carefully scrutinized and assessed to ensure validity of content.
Can we get full transparency of the incompetency of past workers history so I don’t have to hire repeat offenders that are coddled by government. Man I have lost so much business due to some real jokers.
And their criminal records and their current length of time without crack or marijuana.
To the best of my knowledge, permits going from Immigration Dept. to N.W.D.A. for review, spend as much as three months there. This hinders business functioning, which Govt. should NOT be doing. Is the Honourable Minister seriously proposing that ALL jobs be sent there? My suggestion is, sort out the N.W.D.A. first, make them efficient, then consider this if necessary. To be honest, the root of the problem is really employability, and we should be investing more in re-training and equipping our Caymanians for the jobs.
As the NWDA report shows the alleged unemployment issue is a myth are there are virtually no employable people looking for work.
“In the March 30, 1966 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Bodden Town correspondent Haig Bodden wrote:
Two young ladies arrived by Thursday’s plane from Jamaica to work in the homes of [two Caymanian employers].
The [employers] had to go to considerable expense and red tape to obtain work permits and get these people past immigration formalities.
A few years ago, no one would have thought it necessary to look abroad for female domestics. Whether this acute shortage is due to higher standards of living, inefficiency or laziness is a question for the philosophers to ponder.”
Fast forward fifty years and little has changed…….
The philosophers do not have to pander now, as the answer would be “all three of the above”.
Must be nearing election time
The NWDA is a mess get real Minister Rivers this is another electioneering stunt by you and the PPM. If you are sincere then make BSPB plans open to the public. Bet you won’t and can’t do that so as usual you spout pure babble about transparency.
Stop trying to force businesses to hire people who lack the skill sets to get the job done because politicians like the Premier and former education ministers failed to provide a sound educational system and the appropriate training platforms for locals before they enter the work force.
At least the previous Education Minister took more of an interest in education and was not intent on shoving ill thought out policies on the teaching workforce. Guess what he even talked to staff and listened.
nor did he take advice from sacked Ofstead inspectors.