Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Jamaica (Ratification: 1975)

Active labour market measures. Impact of COVID-19. Statistical data. The Committee notes the report entitled “Jamaican Labour Market: Impact of COVID-19”, prepared by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica in July 2020 and the statistical data provided by the Government on the effects of the pandemic on employment. The Committee also notes the information provided by the Government on measures taken to address the challenges encountered and lessons learned from the crisis. The Government indicates that the Prime Minister appointed a tripartite COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force (ERTF) in April 2020, whose primary objectives were to develop recommendations designed to induce readiness for living and productively operating, promote recovery of jobs lost, and generate growth. The Government states that there have been marked improvements in Jamaica, directly related to implementing recommendations from the ERTF. According to the statistical information provided by the Government, Jamaica’s economy grew more than 5 per cent on overage in 2022, Jamaica surpassed pre-COVID levels of growth, and as of July 2022, there was a 9.4 per cent increase in employment and unemployment is at an all-time low of 6.2 per cent. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on the nature and impact of measures taken to improve the Labour Market Information System (LMIS). The Government indicates that since 2016, the development of the LMIS has progressed in four main phases and that currently, there are over 54,000 registered jobseekers and more than 1,500 employers. The Committee further notes the information provided by the Government on measures to increase the supply of skills, particularly the data on the activities organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) to attract both jobseekers and employers. The Committee notes that according to the World Bank (WB) Jamaican economy surpassed its pre-pandemic level, expanding in real terms by 2.9 per cent in 2023, rising economic activity brought the unemployment rate to a record low 4.2 per cent, and poverty declined from 13.9 per cent in 2021 to an estimated 12.3 per cent in 2023. The WB points out that quality of employment remains a concern given continued high informality (46.8 per cent of non-agricultural employment in 2020) and fewer average hours worked relative to pre-pandemic levels. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the ILO publication “The Informal Economy and Decent Work: A Policy Resource Guide, Supporting Transitions to Formality” (Geneva, 2013) as a helpful tool for governments in the transition to formality. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed updated information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, on the labour market situation, including employment, unemployment and underemployment rates. The Government is also requested to provide information on the nature and impact of further measures to improve the LMIS.

Youth employment. The Government indicates that the HEART/NSTA Trust is responsive to providing Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The Government points out that the combined efforts of the Trust’s training institutions, the Community Training Interventions (CTIs), and partnering enterprises resulted in expansive access to training, certification, and job placement opportunities. The Committee notes the detailed statistical data and information provided by the Government on the programmes targeting youth offered by the Trust and other institutions. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide updated detailed information on the nature and impact of measures taken to promote access to sustainable employment and decent work for young women and men, including statistics on youth employment and unemployment rates, disaggregated by age and sex.

Women. The Committee notes the initiatives addressed to women working in the agriculture sector carried out by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) during the reporting period, including the following: 8,607 female farmers benefited from capacity-building training sessions on different aspects related to farming; the RADA continued to provide support for special projects, including facilitating Farmer Field Schools; and 2,493 female farmers benefited from support with farm inputs, such as seeds and clean planting material, pesticides, market linkages and technical training. The Government also indicates that in November 2017, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) and Sport (MCGES), signed a memorandum of understanding on the Women’s Entrepreneurship Support (WES) Project. The Government explains that through this partnership, each year, selected female entrepreneurs receive an award to strengthen their institutional capacity. The Government further indicates that the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC), through its Strategic Business Plan 2023/2024, is allocating 20 per cent of its projects and programmes to include women. The Government refers also to the Community Outreach Through Partnership for Empowerment (COPE) Initiative to raise awareness of gender-based violence. The Committee notes that according to the WB Gender Data Portal, in Jamaica, the labour force participation rate among females is 61.4 per cent and among males is 75.8 per cent for 2023, and that since 1990, female labour force participation has decreased. The Committee also notes that the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDW), in its concluding observations on the eighth periodic report of Jamaica, noted with concern: (a) the disproportionately high unemployment rate of women and their lower participation in the labour force, due primarily to their disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, their concentration in low-paid jobs and their lower representation as employers and land and business owners, at the top executive and board/management levels and in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; (b) that the Equal Pay for Men and Women Act (1975) neither implements the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value nor explicitly prohibits gender-based discrimination in recruitment, career development and vocational training and in relation to job security; and (c) the lack of sufficient childcare and eldercare facilities to enable women’s equal participation in the labour force (document CEDAW/C/JAM/CO/8, dated 15 November 2023, para. 30). The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the above-mentioned initiatives, in addition to other measures adopted or envisaged, in terms of improving women’s participation in the labour force and their transition from the informal economy to the formal labour market.

Persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the measures implemented to promote access to the open labour market for persons with disabilities. The Government refers to the training programmes by the Jamaica Association on Intellectual Disabilities (JAID). The Government also refers to the establishment of social enterprises where persons with disabilities are enrolled. The Government also points out the measures adopted for job placement and support, where adults are placed in integrated employment settings and receive support to help them adapt to the work environment. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that this support is offered in a limited way due to personnel constraints. The Government also refers to the measures to support workers at JAID, where adults are mentored on performing the duties of classroom support staff, assistant cooks, janitors, landscapers, and farm assistants. The Government also highlights the public awareness initiatives on employing persons with intellectual disabilities. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that the Annual Performance Report 2019–20 stated that the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) was responsible for implementing policies and programmes for persons with disabilities and requested information on the programmes implemented by the JCPD. The Committee notes that in its last report the Government does not refer to the JCPD. The Committee also notes the Government’s statement that there remains a gap in the availability of data related to employment of persons with intellectual disabilities. The Government indicates that JAID implemented an Employment Support Programme between 2014 and 2018 and that in the first year, 40 per cent of the programme graduates received full-time employment. The Government highlights that one of the challenges experienced by this population group is not their inability to get a job but their ability to maintain that job. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature and impact of measures taken to promote access to the open labour market for persons with disabilities, including the programmes implemented by the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD). The Committee recalls the importance of counting with statistical data on the impact of the measures taken in favour of persons with disabilities and requests the Government to provide such data in its next report.

Article 3. Consultation with the social partners. The Government indicates that the Final Draft Employment Policy Concept Paper and the development of a National Employment Policy (NEP) include a proposed Steering Committee, which is the main structure to guide the development and implementation of the policy and includes different state entities and private sector organizations. The Government indicates that these entities participated in the development process of the Concept Paper. The Committee notes again that it has been requesting information about the Final Draft Employment Policy Concept Paper and the development of a NEP since 2011. The Government indicates that, in addition to the proposed Steering Committee, working groups will be formed to facilitate expert advice from other key stakeholders. The Government adds that key stakeholders will address thematic areas of concern, including vulnerable populations, social benefits, flexible work arrangements, and legal reform, among others. The Committee once again expresses its trust that the Government will take the necessary measures to finalize the Final Draft Employment Policy Concept Paper and develop the National Employment Policy, in consultation with the social partners and relevant stakeholders, without delay. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature and outcome of consultations held with the social partners concerning the formulation of a national employment policy, as well as on how the views of persons affected by the measures to be taken are taken into account. It requests the Government, in particular, to provide updated information on establishing the Steering Committee and working groups with key stakeholders, as the Government mentioned in its last report.