The majority of work permits issued by CARICOM member states went to non-CARICOM citizens.

This according to findings of a study carried out by the CARICOM Secretariat on Migration and Free Movement.

According to that study, 85, 000 work permits were issued by CARICOM member states between 2000 and 2010, of which 63, 750 went to non-CARICOM citizens, while 4, 500 moved under the regional skills regime.

These points were raised by Barbados Opposition leader, Mr. Owen Arthur, who stated that non-CARICOM nationals were benefitting more from employment opportunities in the region, than nationals.

Speaking during the UCCI/UWI/ICC Caribbean Conference 50-50 – Surveying the Past, Mapping the Future in the Cayman Islands recently, Mr. Arthur stressed that full labour mobility was the best option for promoting and attaining regional development.

Mr. Arthur is quoted as saying that such a move would allow the region to address potential problems relating to the fair distribution of the gains from integration.

According to Arthur, successful integration in the Caribbean required that the region move quickly to bring about full labour mobility as outlined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas