Jamaica advances broad-based consultations for National Employment Policy development

KINGSTON, Jamaica (ILO News) – With the leadership of the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Labour and Social Security, national officials, employers’ and workers’ representatives and institutional stakeholders in Jamaica took part in a week of consultations from 11 to 15 May 2026 to support the development of the country’s National Employment Policy (NEP).

The engagement, supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), formed part of the employment diagnostic phase of the policy development process being championed by the Office of the Prime Minister. The consultations, which engaged more than 140 people across labour market stakeholders, were designed to validate emerging findings, gather additional information and ensure that national views and experiences are reflected in the studies that will inform the policy.

The NEP is anchored in Jamaica's Vision 2030 national development plan which is implemented through Medium Term Socio-Economic Policy Frameworks. The current 2024–2027 framework advances Vision 2030's goals of productive decent employment and broad-based prosperity.

The NEP diagnostic phase produced four key reports. At its core is an overarching diagnostic examining the links between the economy, labour market, poverty, and inequality. This was complemented by two gender-responsive employment studies covering tourism and renewable energy. These examine how to improve working conditions for women in female-concentrated tourism subsectors while strategically expanding their access to opportunities in the male-dominated renewable energy sector. A fourth study assessed the employment impact of Hurricane Melissa.

Meetings were held with a wide range of institutions, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service; the Statistical Institute of Jamaica; the University of the West Indies; the Planning Institute of Jamaica; the Ministry of Industry and Commerce; the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority; the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Enhancement Fund; and the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport. The schedule also included meetings with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information; the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development.

The ILO team also met with the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Jamaica Employers’ Federation. A detailed session was held with trade unions, and the mission wrapped up with a validation session with a tripartite Steering Committee mandated to oversee the policy formulation.

Abdelmalik Muhummed, ILO Employment Specialist explained, “our mission had three main objectives: to present key highlights, including statistics, issues, and concern, to stakeholders; to listen and gather their views; and to synthesise their input for submission to the Steering Committee for endorsement.” He shared that broad consensus emerged on several concerns: the persistence of low productivity, the need for more coherent wage-setting mechanism; addressing binding decent work deficits such high informality, youth unemployment and the rise of non-standard forms of employment. Stakeholders also pointed out migration pressures, gaps in care policies, the growing impact of climate change on workers and enterprises, and the absence of coordinated approach to employment and job creation across economic, sectoral and labour market policies, among others.

To culminate the mission, a half-day validation meeting was held on 15th June convening national institutions and social partners to review the diagnostic studies and discuss next steps. The next phase will focus on identifying and prioritizing policy areas, drawing on the diagnostic findings and the views gathered through the consultations.

A strong National Employment Policy is expected to turn evidence and dialogue into practical action for more and better jobs in Jamaica, and the ILO remains committed to working with the Government and social partners to support the next stages of this process.