Jamaica’s Labour Minister pledges to grow the island’s Overseas Employment Programme
/ Our Today
administratorSamuda discusses expanding programme with US administrators
Jamaica’s Labour Minister Karl Samuda has pledged to grow the island’s Overseas Employment Programme to 30,000 participants over the next four years.
Each year, approximately 7,000 Jamaicans participate in the Labour Ministry’s overseas employment programme, which includes the H-2A (Agricultural) and H-2B (Hospitality) components. Another 6,000 Jamaicans are placed in the US by private employment agencies.
Samuda met with officials from the Department of State, the Department of Labour and the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC on Wednesday (July 14) and discussed the expansion of the programme. He also discussed with the American administrators the provision of Health Insurance for H-2A Agricultural workers.
Commenting on his desire to see the programme expanded, Samuda remarked that the Jamaican Government recognised its transformative power in the lives of participants, their families and their communities.
“The meetings have been successful and we will continue to dialogue with the US government.”
rl Samuda, minister of labour and social security
“So, we want to aggressively grow the programme from 13,000 to 30,000 participants over the next four years. However, as we do so, we must ensure that our workers have the necessary protections,” he said.
According to Samuda, “the meetings have been successful and we will continue to dialogue with the US government. They are committed to this mutually beneficial programme and, importantly, they have agreed to review some of the regulations especially as they relate to the provision of insurance for our workers.”
The minister also met with Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, as well as Jamaicans in the diaspora, who have committed to playing their part in facilitating the expansion of the programme.
During the following two days, Samuda also met with potential employers in Washington, DC and Miami, Florida.
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