CEO lauds minimum wage hike, but encourages livable wage to be considered

KINGSTON, JAMAICA — The top executive of a local recruitment service is commending the government for taking tangible steps to improve the quality of life for the lowest earners of Jamaican society by increasing the national minimum wage for the second year in a row.

“This is to be commended, because nearly everyone around the world is feeling the pinch of inflation that seems to never end,” said Joseph Boll, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. CEO. “Especially coming fresh off of a period of stunted tourism and economic growth, the government twice in a row made deliberate efforts to help minimum-wage earners, and that is without a doubt a positive for the country.”

Caribbean Employment Services Inc. is a market-leading digital talent acquisition service that aims to connect the top talent from the Caribbean with hiring managers, HR professionals, and decision-makers in companies both within the Caribbean as well as abroad. Further, it aims to provide the region’s jobseekers and those who are already employed with news and resources related to Caribbean labour.

However, while the CEO had high praise for the most recent wage hike, he urged continued efforts to implement a livable wage that will ensure minimum-wage earners can still be able to eke out a decent living when it is increasingly expensive to do so.

Jamaica’s government has moved to implement the biggest increase in minimum wage in decades, which speaks to its commitment to its people. Notwithstanding, the nation’s new minimum wage of JMD$13,000 per 40-hour workweek, to take effect this June, is the equivalent of around USD$116 and still among the lowest in the Caribbean.

Boll continued, “As a company dedicated to providing resources to jobseekers and employers in the region, we hope to see continued efforts to ensure Jamaican workers in any and all fields are able to comfortably live and provide for their families through fair labour, no matter what career they have at any given time.”