Global Jobs Pact Country Profile: Barbados

Drawing on the Kingston Action Plan – The Caribbean Response to the Crisis and the Global Jobs Pact in setting the job crisis response agenda, several countries in the Caribbean conducted a survey requesting tripartite constituents to share best practices and recovery initiatives.

ILO Caribbean Jobs Crisis Observatory tracked country responses in: Barbados, the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica.

In Barbados, the Government introduced several schemes and programmes aimed at providing immediate relief to enterprises, self-employed persons and workers, which included among other measures:

- additional funds granted for the tourism industry

- waivers of interest and penalties on outstanding National Insurance, Income Tax, Land Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT)

- establishment of a high-level Inter-Ministerial Task Force to monitor and strengthen the social safety nets

- shortened working hours - where feasible offering day-on day-off rotations – with voluntary wage reductions

Key resources

Barbados – Country Factsheet

Supporting Enterprises and Maintaining Employment in the Tourism Sector: A Case Study of Barbados

For more information on the job crisis and recovery in Barbados, please visit the ILO Job Crisis Observatory.