KINGSTON, Jamaica— Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr, says a US$20-million investment will be made to expand coverage of social protection programmes and enhance their effectiveness.

He made the announcement in his contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The minister said that several initiatives will be undertaken through the Social Protection for Increased Resilience and Opportunity (SPIRO) project.

“One major activity under the new project is the design and implementation of an integrated Social Protection Information System, which will accelerate the transformation of the ministry’s systems and significantly reduce processing time across all programmes,” he said.

The SPIRO project will also bolster employment services and labour market research tools.

“These initiatives will further widen the ministry’s reach in ensuring no one is left behind,” Charles Jr added.

The SPIRO project seeks to expand social protection coverage in Jamaica to include the establishment of an unemployment insurance scheme, providing Jamaican workers with risk protection from economic and climate change shocks.

The project will be undertaken in partnership with the World Bank.