Opposition Leader Bruce Golding making his contribution to the 2007/2008 Budget Debate at Gordon House yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Opposition Leader Bruce Golding has cited job creation as one of the major planks on which a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration would focus its attention to heave the country out of its current economic plight.

Mr. Golding argued yesterday that the creation of jobs should not be a "hoped-for-by-product" of the country's economic strategy, but instead the principal plan of that strategy.

Early childhood education

In a wide ranging presentation during his contribution to the 2007/2008 Budget Debate, the Opposition Leader also outlined his party's approach to developing early childhood education, provide more training opportunities for school leavers and broadening the country's investment prospects.

Mr. Golding said that if more jobs were created, poverty would be alleviated and the country's serious crime problem would be reduced.

"Two thirds of the total revenue we collect is derived from wages and consumption expenditure," he told colleagues on both sides of the Gordon House chamber. "So if you create more jobs you put more money in people's pockets, you enable more people to consume, you collect more revenue and then you are able to pay down the debt."

He said the unemployment figure, which was just below 10 per cent, gave the Government a false sense of achievement.

According to the Opposition Leader, the definition of employment used by the Government is "any person who works for at least one hour each week".

He said that, by this measurement, Jamaica would be rivalling countries in the developed world, an assertion he described as "absurd".

The repositioning of HEART/NTA to respond to the skills requirements of new investments also formed part of Mr. Golding's proposals.

Formal training

He said the Labour Force Survey revealed that 76 per cent of the workforce did not have any formal training.

"We are not going to be able to attract the job-creating investments we need, unless we are able to provide qualified or trainable workers to fill those jobs," he insisted.

A revised apprenticeship programme and craft training for young people were also among the suggestions made by Mr. Golding.

Turning to early childhood education, he said the JLP would source multilateral funding for the education transformation programme, with emphasis on building a solid foundation at the basic level.

He reiterated the Opposition's commitment to abolishing tuition fees for students at the secondary level.