In an effort to improve the administration of the authorization to work for non-Jamaicans seeking employment in Jamaica, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr disclosed that his ministry will be replacing the existing work permit system.

Though the employment of non-Jamaicans in Jamaica is managed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) and governed by the Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens Employment Act, 1964, as well as the Caribbean Community Free Movement of Skill Persons Act, 1997, the MLSS recognises that some gaps exist.

While speaking at the post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, Charles Jr stated that the ministry will be revamping the work permit system. “In an effort to improve the management of the application and processing of these types of services, the ministry has commenced work to replace the existing work permit system and to also improve business processes through the creation of a new web-based and mobile-friendly work permit management system,” he said.

Charles Jr. emphasised that the system will be informed by labour market intelligence as well as training and certification needs to close the skill gap in the local economy.

“The ministry is ensuring that work permits are granted to persons where there are no Jamaican counterparts or a shortage in the labour market. We are currently now at the final stage of development of this new digitised system.”

He continued, “Pre-user acceptance testing is ongoing and will conclude by the end of February, followed by the actual user acceptance testing to commence in March, and the unit is committed to playing its part in reaching the new system development as soon as possible.”

Charles Jr. further noted that the efficiency programme implemented by the ministry for over a year now has resulted in several positive changes, including improved application processing times due to the addition of staff. “However, despite all of that, we do recognise that further improvements can enhance efficiency, reduce processing times even further and backlog, reduce the errors in the process, and improve payment processes, particularly for the online payments, to ensure that the client-facing experience is user-friendly for both employers and foreign nationals,” he added.

Consequently, Charles Jr. noted that the Ministry will be further enhancing the Efficiency Programme by introducing the Operation Streamline, a bold and strategic initiative aimed at improving the work permit system in Jamaica. “For years we have known that employers, foreign investors, and workers have expressed serious concerns about the inefficiencies in the process, ranging from delays in processing to challenges with regards to compliance and monitoring.

“Thus, operation streamline will specifically and specially be designed to tackle these challenges head-on, ensuring that Jamaica remains an attractive destination for skilled talent while also protecting opportunities for our local workforce. The key objective will be to continue the digital transformation and to ensure faster processing time, reduce paperwork, and improve turnaround time and accuracy,” he continued.

Additionally, the ministry will also have strengthened oversight and compliance and have developed a Work Permit Oversight Committee to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in approvals. “Employers must, however, know that they will have to demonstrate a clear need for hiring foreign workers while prioritising skill transfer to Jamaicans,” Charles Jr. said.

To foster enhanced accessibility and customer support, the ministry will also have a work permit helpdesk to provide real-time assistance and guidance and new online tracking tools that will also help applicants monitor the progress. “We will also have an email that will be provided for applicants or the companies to reach out to us if it is that you have any work permits that you believe are inordinately delayed or if there are work permits past the eight-week period. That email is [email protected].

“Work permits will be granted in alignment with the national development priorities and skills shortages identified in key sectors. We’re going to have a stronger linkage between the labour market information system and the work permit approvals, and this is to ensure that vacancies are first made available to qualified Jamaicans before any permits are issued. Also, going forward, related skills that are not found here in Jamaica will be examined to make sure that we have that apprenticeship conditionality.”

Awareness campaigns will be implemented to educate the businesses, investors, and workers on the new processes.

“We will be implementing a tiered prioritisation system and will ensure that where applications submitted in excess of the eight-week period are still current in our process, they will be reviewed and advanced with urgency… The ministry expects to have a positive impact from this reduced processing time, greater transparency, greater accountability, stronger protection for our Jamaican workers, and in the near future, the modern, efficient, and customer-friendly work permit system that we desire for our country,” he added.

WATCH: