Labour Exchange Centre opens

Sue Cobb, US Ambassador to Jamaica, has a word for Senator Floyd Morris, Minister of State for Labour and Social Security, during yesterday's launch of the Jamaica Labour Market Information System and the official opening of the Labour Exchange Centre at the Ministry, North Street, central Kingston. - Rudolph Brown

DONALD BUCHANAN, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, said yesterday that the Government would not divert from its policy of seeking consensus before introducing labour reform.

Mr. Buchanan said that it intended to walk the road of "smart partnerships," especially in matters related to labour reform.

He explained that "smart partnerships" meant achieving, as far as possible, consensual decisions based on the consideration of inputs from all stakeholders.

Mr. Buchanan was speaking at the launch of the Jamaica Labour Market Information System (JLMIS) and the official opening of the Labour Exchange Centre at his Ministry, North Street, central Kingston.

The JLMIS is a comprehensive system of collecting, analysing and disseminating information on situations and trends of labour supply and demand. It will provide a one-stop data and information source and a job search and placement facility operating through the Internet at www.lmis-ele.org.jm.

The Labour Exchange Centre will be operated by a Labour Exchange Commission established from July 2000 as a multi- agency group with overall responsibility for developing a consistent and sustainable national policy for collecting, processing and disseminating labour market information.

Sue Cobb, United States Ambassador to Jamaica, said the centre would link employers to a variety of qualified applicants and provide job-seekers with access to employment and training opportunities.

She said that an efficient labour market, in which job-seekers can obtain information on what jobs are available and employers can find applicants with required technical knowledge and experience, would be an important component of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the hemispheric free trade zone.

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