KINGSTON, Jamaica – The People’s National Party (PNP) says it’s alarmed by statements made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in which he hinted at importing skilled workers to the island for upcoming developments.

At a ground-breaking ceremony for a new hotel in Trelawny last Wednesday, Holness hinted at the possibility of importing labour to satisfy demand if enough trained workers are not available locally.

“We have placed HEART on alert… that we are going to have to find these people, put them in a streamline mechanism to get them trained and provide them very quickly. If we don’t do that, then there can be no complaint if we have to import labour into the country. And we are seeing an increase in request for labour, particularly skilled labour, in the country,” the prime minister said.

READ: PM hints at possible importation of skilled workers due to local shortage

In a statement on Monday, the Opposition stated that the Government has announced several training programmes, including the HOPE programme, which sought to train and certify over 20,000 youth in various skills, yet it is now seeking to import skilled labourers into the country.

PNP Chairperson Dr Angela Brown Burke expressed great concern at the implication that the programmes implemented by the government were not able to provide the necessary skilled workers for the local labour force.

She noted that during the last six years, the Prime Minister ought to have been aware and should have taken into consideration the current situation of available skilled labour on the island and ensured that Jamaican workers would be trained and certified to fill the gap.

A 2021 STATIN report indicated that 94,300 persons aged 14 years and older were unemployed. Brown stated that thousands of Jamaicans have completed related training programs at Heart/VTDI but have not received their NCTVET certification.

“These youngsters constitute a ready pool of qualified workers and apprentices. This automatic default to foreign workers will be vigorously protested,” said Brown Burke.

According to Brown Burke, the Prime Minister’s statements are an admission of failure and incompetence on his part being the Minister in charge of the HEART/NSTA TRUST and the Minister who recently presided over the restructuring of the entity which resulted in the decimation of the workforce-based and community-based training departments.

“The Opposition agrees that the recent mismanagement and pillaging have robbed this potentially powerful institution of its capacity to respond to the expected demand but remains hopeful that with some planning and creativity HEART can be restored to its former capacity to meet the needs of our current labour market,” the statement read.