From Austerity to Prosperity

The Bahama Journal Editorial



While we have no way of precisely forecasting the future, we are fairly certain that – in the absence of a decisive break with business as usual - things are set to get even harder for a broad swath of our people.

This is so not only because we are so dependent on external forces and sources for most of the jobs that provide good incomes; but also because of the fact that in times past, we just did not produce enough and neither did we have - as a people – any real desire to do more.

Instead, we spent as if there was no tomorrow; and we borrowed as if happy days would last for as long as we might have wished.

Today, we know that these were mere illusions; in and of themselves evidence of a dependency that left us vulnerable and open to shock after shock – some of them external and others terrifyingly internal.

And so today – and therefore to the nub of today’s argument – we note that, we must – if we are to weather the storms ahead, work harder, produce more and in so many other words, we have to give value for money.

Evidently, the fact of the matter in today’s hard-pressed Bahamas is to the effect that, Bahamians are slowly but surely coming to the realization that they will be obliged to work harder, study more, get more training and otherwise become more competitive if they hope to make it.

Here we note how Prime Minister Hubert A. Ingraham some time ago framed the issue at hand. In this regard, the nation’s chief admonished, "We must never lose sight of the reality that as the world’s economy shrinks, competition increases…”

And so, we can decide to match the competition, out-distance it or fall behind. Put simply, we are in a fight that will determine whether we get out from under our troubles and woes or if we are to fail utterly.

Simply put, if we are to find our own unique road to success, we must demand far more of ourselves and a great deal more of our leaders.

This is surely the way to go if we are to negotiate our way past austerity road; that path that invariably precedes the broad vistas that come with prosperity.

Here we would posit that, the time is nigh for the Bahamian people to realize that the world in which they live, work and where they might prosper, remains one that rewards productivity and creativity.

And for sure, while foreign directed projects like Baha Mar are obviously appreciated, Bahamians must do more for themselves.

Here they are called upon to do so by working harder, remaining sober, becoming more diligent and otherwise, giving appropriate value for money received.

While much of this is easier said than done and while some others might dither and others dawdle, clearly things are currently going from bad to worse.

We need merely refer to some of the grief some small employers are obliged to experience as they try to keep their businesses afloat.

Utility costs are high; so is the price of labor.

There is little to no commensurate value coming the employer’s way – this due to the fact that labor is expensive, often incompetent and just as often, simply unavailable.

This and more information just like this serves to underscore the urgency in the moment for all hands to be put to work if things are going to be kept together.

They must become more productive.

Clearly then, it is this question of productivity that cuts to the heart of that matter which turns on whether the Bahamas has what it takes to compete in the region and in the wider world.

Sadly, the answer must be in the negative.

This neatly explains how it now arises where in certain large enterprises, workers are being routinely ‘thrown overboard’ in efforts to help staunch this or that firm’s money-hemorrhage; thus the emergence here of late of that rising ocean of unemployed and underemployed Bahamians.

And so we would respectfully suggest that –if only at this juncture - we just do not have what it takes to compete with nations that have vast numbers of disciplined workers – men and women who work well and hard – and who do have what it takes to create value.

Here discipline is the key.

When and where workers are disciplined, well-educated and properly trained they become a nation’s most valuable resource.

Contrariwise, when and where they are neglected or denied education and training, they become social parasites; this in turn, exposes them to lives of misery and want.

And so, as night follows day, we must – if we are to survive in this brave new world – work smarter, produce more value and otherwise demonstrate that we can compete in that global economy where the mantra remains, compete or perish.

December 05, 2011

The Bahama Journal Editorial

Bahamas Blog International

Branville McCartney - Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town says: ...that there are a lot of men in his area who are in need of jobs

Men In Bamboo Town Want Jobs
By Sasha L. Lightbourne:



It’s something you find in every community – men who are unemployed and looking for jobs – and certainly that was the case in Bamboo Town where several young men who are residing in the area said one of the things their member of parliament can do is to put on a job fair.

Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town, Branville McCartney acknowledged that there are a lot of men in the area in need of jobs.

"We are trying to get a men’s forum together because we do have quite a number of men who are unemployed," he said.

"They feel despondent and frustrated so we are trying to get some persons in to talk to them like social workers and psychiatrists so I have to acknowledge that one of the areas I am having difficulty in is trying to get the young men involved in certain things."

Mr. McCartney said it is difficult to reach out to all the young men but because his Constituency is so large it is often hard to do so.

One of the men we spoke to in the area agreed that more jobs should be created in the area.

"I think one of the things Mr. McCartney can do is put on a job fair," Mr. King said.

"People have this misconception that young men out there don’t want to work and that is wrong. I got laid off last year and have been looking for a job ever since but it has been hard to find a job. Everyone is saying that they are not hiring because of the economy."

He explained that it is hard not having a job especially when you have a family to support.

"You have to look at the high crime rate in the country and wonder are these people just being nuisances or do they have no other choice," Mr. King asked.

"It’s hard out there. I just hope Mr. McCartney sees the young men in his constituency and will respond by assisting them. We are not looking for any handouts but we can find ways to create jobs in this constituency, only if that’s to cut grass then that’s what it has to be but something has to be done."

When we spoke to Mr. McCartney last week he told the Bahama Journal that several job fairs had been held in the past and there are plans to host another one later this year.

"We want to continue doing those kinds of things but the people have to come out and support it," he said.

"It’s expensive to put on those initiatives and then no one shows up. We also have regular community meetings as well as association meetings where we discuss these types of things with constituents so we can find out what the needs of the community are."

August 9th, 2010

jonesbahamas

Bahamas Blog International

Brent Symonette - Minister of Immigration: Bahamians "cannot continue to employ non-Bahamian labour and complain at the rate of unemployment."

Deputy PM: we cannot employ non-Bahamian labour and complain about unemployment
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:



BAHAMIANS should take a hard look at the realities behind the immigration of foreigners into their country and accept that their own behaviour and choices sometimes play a part in the situation about which many complain, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Immigration, Brent Symonette, said that Bahamians "cannot continue to employ non-Bahamian labour and complain at the rate of unemployment."

"We either have to accept that there are certain jobs Bahamians are unwilling, unable or are not being suitably paid to do or else we have to move on," he said.

"A Bahamian will work in a hotel, but yet we're importing maids to work in private homes. What's the difference between them? Why are we prepared to do one and not the other?" asked the Minister and MP for St Anne's.

Under Bahamian immigration law, a foreign person can get a work permit from the Department of Immigration to fill a job in the Bahamas if no suitably qualified Bahamian can be found to do the job. In some cases, this may mean those who apply for the job are not necessarily holding the skills or qualifications the position demands, and in others, foreigners are able to gain legal authorisation to work in The Bahamas when no Bahamians actually apply for certain jobs when they are advertised.

He suggested that not only does the level of foreigners employed to do these jobs in The Bahamas mean some Bahamians remain unemployed while jobs exist that they could do, but "you have to ask the question what other burdens do (immigrants) put on the system."

Meanwhile, Mr Symonette said there has been a "gradually growing" number of cases of suspected sham marriages between Bahamians and foreigners seeking "papers" in The Bahamas - primarily Haitians and Jamaicans.

"A number of persons of non-Bahamian citizenship come to the Bahamas, overstay their welcome, when caught get deported and coincidentally marry a Bahamian the next day in a country south of us then come back as the spouse of a Bahamian. The cases are far too common to be real. And that's an issue we all have to face. There are a number of marriages that we question," said Mr Symonette.

He said that where the Immigration Department suspects that a marriage is one of "convenience", lacking authenticity, it has denied the right to the usual work and residency related benefits that extend to the spouses of Bahamians and some fraudulent cases have been prosecuted. However, he added that the situation is a tricky one as the government must extend these benefits to the spouses of Bahamians or else face the likelihood that Bahamians who go abroad and marry will not return home. Referring to the employment of foreigners, mainly Haitians and Jamaicans, in relatively unskilled jobs such as housekeeping and gardening -- thousands of permits are approved each year for foreigners to work in posts like these when Bahamians cannot be found to do the work -- and the fact that there is "on a daily basis a demand for skilled labour at the Department of Labour." Mr Symonette said the Bahamas needs to "start looking at the whole immigration policy in this country."

"Do we have enough skilled labour in the Bahamas or don't we have enough? Are people applying for work permits with job descriptions that don't necessarily fit the job in hand? These are issues I think we need to get out for public discussion," said Mr Symonette.

June 16, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

The Latest Unemployment Numbers Released in The Bahamas

The unemployment rate for women in The Bahamas showed a slight increase, whereas that of men a slight decrease

Unemployment Rate Unchanged

 

 

By Candia Dames

Nassau, The Bahamas

28 October 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Officials of the Department of Statistics released new numbers on Thursday that show that the unemployment rate over the last year has remained unchanged, standing at 10.2 percent.

Officials said the total number of unemployed during the "reference" or "snapshot" week in April, stood at 18,175, an increase of 185 people over 2004.

The unemployment rate in Grand Bahama was actually higher than the national rate, standing at 11 percent, up from 9.3 percent in 2004, according to the report.

The new data shows that there were 3,000 people in Grand Bahama recorded as unemployed, up from 2,465 in 2004, but officials said that was not enough to drive the national rate beyond the 10.2 percent recorded last year.

Cypreanna Winters, a statistician at the department, recognized that the results may come as a surprise to some people, but she added, "We are definition driven.  Of course we know people wouldn’t agree with us."

The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines employed persons as, "All persons 15 years of age and over who work for pay anytime during the reference week or who worked without pay for at least one hour in a family operated business or a person who was temporarily absent from their regular job because of vacation, illness etc."

The ILO defines unemployed persons as, "All persons 15 years of age and over who did not work or have a job from which they were temporarily absent during the reference week, but were actively looking for work in the four weeks prior to the survey week and were able and willing to work."

Discouraged workers were defined as "All persons who may or may not have worked before, are able and willing to work, but are not actively seeking work because they believe they would not find it.  They are not considered to be a part of the labour force."

When asked why the hundreds of people who lost their jobs – particularly in Grand Bahama – following hurricanes Frances and Jeanne last year did not push the unemployment rate up, Ms. Winters explained that many of them would either have found jobs or are classified as discouraged workers.

Officials said they do not count discouraged workers as part of the unemployed although they too are jobless.

"There is a thin line between an unemployed person and a discouraged worker," Ms. Winters said.  "We have to be guided by our [internationally-accepted] definitions."

Assistant Director of the Department of Statistics Leona Wilson reported that while the national unemployment figure is 10.2 percent, there is a noted difference when examined by sex.

The unemployment rate for women showed a slight increase, whereas that of men a slight decrease.

Unemployment among women was recorded at 11.2 percent, up from 11 percent in 2004; and the unemployment among men was recorded at 9.2 percent, down from 9.4 percent in 2004.

Ms. Wilson also reported that preliminary results show that 2,375 persons were added to the labour force in 2005, an increase of 1.3 percent over the previous year.  This includes unemployed and employed persons.

Women were the main contributor to this growth (1,485 compared to men who numbered 890).

The data also indicated that 2,190 of the 2,375 persons got jobs and females outnumbered the males at 1,180, compared to 1,010.

Over the last 10 years, the unemployment rate was at its lowest point in 2001, when it stood at 6.9 percent.  It jumped to 9.1 percent in 2002, climbed to 10.8 percent in 2003, and showed a slight drop to 10.2 percent in 2004.

Over the last decade, the unemployment rate was at its highest point in 1996 when it stood at 11.5 percent, up from 10.9 percent the previous year.

In 1992, the unemployment rate was 14.8 percent.  The unemployment rate was highest in an independent Bahamas in 1975 when it stood at 21.2 percent.