Buchanan"YESTERDAY, a displaced worker in Jamaica often had to rely on family, friends and good luck to find a new job. Today, the Labour Exchange Centre can provide that same job seeker, the benefit of trained staff to assist in his or her job search," said Maya Beja, International Project Manager, United States Department of Labour (USDOL).
She was speaking at yesterday's launch of the Jamaica Labour Market Information System and the official opening of the Labour Exchange Centre. This project of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, with the assistance of the USDOL, is geared towards employers and job seekers.
"Today, brings to culmination nearly two years of tireless efforts," said Mrs. Beja. This undertaking will address the real problem for many of the country's citizens: How to find work and where is work, she said.
The Labour Market Information System (LMIS) will operate through a web-based system. The web address is www.lmis/ele.org.jm.
Through this LMIS, job seekers will be able to post their resumés on the website and employers will be able to advertise vacancies.
Those without access to the Internet can take advantage of the computer facilities that will be made available at the Labour Exchange Centre, at the Ministry, to browse for available employment or prospective applicants.
The system will also allow for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative information about the labour market. The LMIS will serve the dual function of a one-stop data and information source, and secondly, a job search and placement facility.
The applicability of this system extends far beyond just job seekers and employers. Other beneficiaries of the LMIS will include policymakers, prospective investors, career counsellors, programme developers at the tertiary levels, secondary and tertiary level students, among others.
Speaking about the project, Donald Buchanan, Minister of Labour and Social Security said, "This in many ways, represents a solid manifestation of the Jamaican Government's drive into the next phase of economic transformation and sustained growth for Jamaica."
The data for the system will be provided by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), the Ministry of Labour, the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the Ministry of Education Youth & Culture, training institutions, employment agencies, employers and job seekers, among others, showing that this is indeed a major collaborative effort.
This project is an important step towards addressing the problems of our labour market which includes high unemployment levels and a labour force that grew from 998,000 in 1991 to 1.1 billion in the year 2000, according to Herbert Lewis, president of the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF).
Other speakers at the event included Tripartite Advisory Commission chairman, Gresford Smith; United States Ambassador to Jamaica, Sue Cobb; Minister of State, Floyd Morris; PIOJ consultant, Benthan Hussey; and Lennox Robinson, of IMEX Technologies, who gave a demonstration of the system.
