ILO leads discussions to support development of Grenada’s public employment services
Meetings focused on creating a system that enables income support and job integration measures.
20 November 2023
As Grenada continues to take steps to strengthen its social protection mechanisms, a recent mission coordinated by the ILO Caribbean Office provided an opportunity for policymakers to understand how to establish a Public Employment Service (PES) that will accelerate job opportunities, not only but also, for beneficiaries of unemployment insurance.
To initiate the development process, ILO Employment Services Specialist, Mr François Dumora, as well as Ms Kyana Bowen, ILO National Project Coordinator, hosted meetings and bilateral consultations with stakeholders between 6th and 9th November 2023. During the sessions, officials from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports & Culture, the Grenada Employers’ Federation, the Grenada Trade Union Council and the National Training Agency shared their perspectives and realities related to key issues such as labour force data, skills development and emerging sectors.
“The ILO is pleased to continue our partnership with National Insurance Scheme of Grenada through technical support that will strengthen institutional capacity to overcome limitations and advance a tailor-made, realistic and achievable public employment service that responds to the needs and ambitions of people, businesses and labour markets,” said Ms Bowen.
The results of the discussions revealed that all stakeholders agreed on the need to rapidly create PES in Grenada. They recognized the importance of having a strong labour standard foundation for the PES and expressed an intention to ratify ILO Convention C88 – Employment Service Convention. The Ministry of Labour also indicated that the development of a PES already part of its workplan for 2024.
The national officials then participated in a two-day Public Employment Services Workshop facilitated by Mr Dumora. The training featured activities to strengthen their understanding of PES as well as build their capacity to define realistic and achievable solutions that will meet the needs of the country's economy by enabling income support and job integration measures. The participants also learned how to identify target audiences and a range of services in keeping with provisions made through ILO Conventions C88 - Employment Service Convention.
A subsequent evaluation of the workshop showed consensus that participants felt the training enhanced their understanding of the requirements of an effective PES. They also advised of a national need for ILO's continued technical support for its development.
On 1 May 2023, the NIS introduced the first funded unemployment benefit to Grenada Carriacou and Petit Martinique, however the need to explore the development of a PES was always seen as a necessity. A PES will help facilitate a more efficient way for the public to access job opportunities, for potential employers to fill vacancies and allow the public to access training in job related and other useful soft skills.
“The workshop led by Mr Dumora and Ms Bowen from the ILO, and attended by various stakeholders, was very useful in providing an initial concept of what a Public Employment Service might look like and the benefits it could bring to our tri-island state,” said Mr Dorsett Cromwell, Director of the NIS.
Next actions for the development of Grenada’s PES include the drafting of a concept note that will work on the design and operationalisation related to specify status, priority clients, service offering, financing, human resources and staff training needs. The note will allow the Ministry of Labour to create a local project team in charge of preparing the creation of the PES.
The meetings, consultations and workshop were delivered under the Joint Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Project ‘Resilient Caribbean,’ in which the ILO is working alongside the NIS in Grenada to improve the extension of social protection coverage to the informal sector and economic units.
More information is available on the Joint SDG Fund's website.
To initiate the development process, ILO Employment Services Specialist, Mr François Dumora, as well as Ms Kyana Bowen, ILO National Project Coordinator, hosted meetings and bilateral consultations with stakeholders between 6th and 9th November 2023. During the sessions, officials from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports & Culture, the Grenada Employers’ Federation, the Grenada Trade Union Council and the National Training Agency shared their perspectives and realities related to key issues such as labour force data, skills development and emerging sectors.
“The ILO is pleased to continue our partnership with National Insurance Scheme of Grenada through technical support that will strengthen institutional capacity to overcome limitations and advance a tailor-made, realistic and achievable public employment service that responds to the needs and ambitions of people, businesses and labour markets,” said Ms Bowen.
The results of the discussions revealed that all stakeholders agreed on the need to rapidly create PES in Grenada. They recognized the importance of having a strong labour standard foundation for the PES and expressed an intention to ratify ILO Convention C88 – Employment Service Convention. The Ministry of Labour also indicated that the development of a PES already part of its workplan for 2024.
The national officials then participated in a two-day Public Employment Services Workshop facilitated by Mr Dumora. The training featured activities to strengthen their understanding of PES as well as build their capacity to define realistic and achievable solutions that will meet the needs of the country's economy by enabling income support and job integration measures. The participants also learned how to identify target audiences and a range of services in keeping with provisions made through ILO Conventions C88 - Employment Service Convention.
A subsequent evaluation of the workshop showed consensus that participants felt the training enhanced their understanding of the requirements of an effective PES. They also advised of a national need for ILO's continued technical support for its development.
On 1 May 2023, the NIS introduced the first funded unemployment benefit to Grenada Carriacou and Petit Martinique, however the need to explore the development of a PES was always seen as a necessity. A PES will help facilitate a more efficient way for the public to access job opportunities, for potential employers to fill vacancies and allow the public to access training in job related and other useful soft skills.
“The workshop led by Mr Dumora and Ms Bowen from the ILO, and attended by various stakeholders, was very useful in providing an initial concept of what a Public Employment Service might look like and the benefits it could bring to our tri-island state,” said Mr Dorsett Cromwell, Director of the NIS.
Next actions for the development of Grenada’s PES include the drafting of a concept note that will work on the design and operationalisation related to specify status, priority clients, service offering, financing, human resources and staff training needs. The note will allow the Ministry of Labour to create a local project team in charge of preparing the creation of the PES.
The meetings, consultations and workshop were delivered under the Joint Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Project ‘Resilient Caribbean,’ in which the ILO is working alongside the NIS in Grenada to improve the extension of social protection coverage to the informal sector and economic units.
More information is available on the Joint SDG Fund's website.