ANOTHER 110 employees of the Jamaica Customs Department have lost their jobs, bringing to 352 the number of persons to have been displaced as part of measures being undertaken by the Ministry of Finance and Planning to modernise the revenue agency.
The Customs Department, in a release yesterday, said that in this the final round of staff selection under the modernisation programme, about 110 staff members were referred to the Services Commission for redeployment in the wider public sector or for retirement.
Of the number, the release said, 10 persons have opted for early retirement and 20 others opted not to apply for positions in the modernised department. The other 80 were not selected for positions.
Customs said the staffing process was now in its final stages and that the last round of internal placement would see 180 additional staff placed. About 73 per cent of the original staff have been retained in the new structure, the Department said.
The modernisation programme began two years ago and is aimed at restructuring and revitalising the workforce, as well as improving the technical capacities of the Customs Department to make it more efficient.
All staff were redeployed to the Ministry of Finance and Planning and required to reapply for a position in the Department. The selection process is based on three components an interview, a psychometric assessment and a written exercise.
The Customs Department also said that vacancies which were not filled would be advertised in the media and the wider public service.
