BARBADOS and other Caribbean nationals need to take hold of the opportunities governments have put in place to allow for the free movement of skilled persons.
This piece of advice was relayed to Business Monday by Marcus Myers, Information Officer of the Barbados Accreditation Council, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic having caused massive employment here and elsewhere.
“It is time that CARICOM nationals take advantage of the opportunities created by regional leaders,” Myers pointed out.
He has told Business Monday that the broadening of our horizons can be done with a tool – The Certificate of Recognition of CARICOM Skills Qualification.
According to him, “The free movement of skills/labour entails the right of a CARICOM national to seek work or engage in gainful employment in any of the qualifying CARICOM member states.”
This follows a decision by regional leaders to facilitate the provision with the intention of increasing free movement of persons skilled in 12 categories, to pursue employment opportunities.
The areas covered are Graduates, Media persons, Artistes, Musicians, Sports persons, Professional Nurses, Teachers, Artisans, Holders of an Associate Degree, Household domestics, Security guards and Agricultural workers.
With the COVID-19 pandemic having caused significant job losses, there is speculation that many persons will be inspired to find employment wherever the possibilities exist.
Mr. Myers recalled that the International Labour Organisation had reported that 34 million jobs were lost in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Moreover, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) found from a survey that 46.3 persons had lost jobs during the COVID pandemic with the bulk of the jobs having been lost in such sectors as tourism, accommodation, food service, construction and in the wholesale and retail trades.
