August 11, 2023
The chief executive of a market-leading recruitment firm said his organization is looking forward to the positive results of the Government’s Economic Development Strategy Priority Five: People.
Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is a market-leading digital talent acquisition service that aims to connect the top talent from the Caribbean with hiring managers, HR professionals and decision-makers in companies both within the Caribbean as well as abroad.
The organization’s CEO, Joseph Boll, said: “The plan seems promising, and could certainly mean many new jobs on the horizon for Bermuda’s workforce in the future.”
Caribbean Employment noted that skills gap challenges have been a longstanding issue in many Caribbean countries, and that targeted efforts to address it are to be commended. This is particularly the case where skills training will help ensure citizens are fully equipped to secure employment where vacancies exist instead of creating a surplus of qualified workers in a field that may not have sufficient vacancies.
“It’s great to see that the Government’s strategy plans to address this, while also expanding into emerging fields like technology,” Boll added.
Further, the intention to increase immigration was also commended, with the organization noting that Guyana similarly is expected to need to ramp up immigration if the country is to keep up with its rapid growth. While for Bermuda the challenge was with an aging workforce instead, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. maintains that controlled immigration for labour purposes is not a negative but sometimes necessary, especially as organizations like the World Bank have noted that skilled workers across the Caribbean migrate outside of the region “in large numbers,” exacerbating skills gaps and putting a strain on human capital.
“The key is in balancing this with an emphasis on putting employment of citizens first, which is exactly what it seems like the Government has in mind,” Boll said. “All in all, it seems to be a fair strategy that would pay off tremendously if successful. Caribbean Employment Services Inc. certainly hopes to see this plan come to fruition, and we remain ready to assist with facilitating recruitment and job hunting needs of residents and employers as more jobs come onstream and the economy continues to grow.”