Editorial | Where have all the workers gone?

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is worried that the widening skills gap in the construction industry will undermine a recovering Jamaican economy, even as he anticipates a construction boom along the north coast.

The prime minister’s concerns, and hint at possible importation of such skills, have spawned debate about the reasons for a dwindling skilled workforce and the mitigating measures which are needed in the short term to close the gaps.

It was at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a 700-room RIU hotel in Trelawny, which was featured in a blaze of publicity, that the prime minister disclosed that at least seven major developments were being proposed for the island’s north coast. His concern was that there are not enough tilers, carpenters, plumbers,and roofers available to fill the requisite demand which will be created by these new projects.

Construction is one of the supporting pillars of the Jamaican economy, and it is used as a barometer of how the general economy is performing. Right now, Jamaica looks like an economy in recovery, based on the number of construction projects which have been announced for the north coast and areas like St Thomas. These, combined with several residential projects that can be seen in the Kingston and St Andrew area, tell an eloquent story of buoyancy.

There is also every indication that the construction sector managed the COVID-19 crisis well, for, after initial delays caused by widespread lockdown measures, various projects resumed and were completed, even in the face of shortages created by difficulties in the global supply chain.

WELL-KNOWN REASONS

So, why is Jamaica experiencing a skills crisis in the construction industry? Some of these reasons are well known. They include migration, ageing staff with no active recruitment plan for replacement, and lack of incentives for an apprenticeship system.

Mr Holness said, in response to the skills crisis, he has placed HEART/NSTA Trust, the national human resource training entity, on alert to significantly increase the pool of construction workers. Therein lies a major piece of the puzzle. Institutions like HEART/NSTA Trust and other vocational schools seem to have lost their way. They should have been taking the pulse of the industry in order to offer the kind of training that would produce a workforce that is aligned with the industry’s needs. It takes time for newly trained workers to plug this gap, and it cannot happen when the demand is already there.

Experts and industry players have long been predicting this day when demand would overtake the supply of skilled workers. If the situation demands it and construction workers have to be sourced from overseas, this would lead to increased costs that would eventually be fed back into the price of construction projects.

So we ask, where are the incentives to encourage industry to establish apprenticeship systems? The profile of a construction worker in his signature hard hat and muddy boots should be erased, and this ought to be replaced by the image of a digitally enhanced 21st century worker, perhaps, then, more youngsters will find the industry more attractive.

In the sprint to the future, it is essential that the construction industry remains vibrant and stable. It will require the creative energies of government, private sector, academia and unions. There seems to be no easy solution in the short term, but one thing will help is a big training push.

In our view, relying on overseas labour is not the answer. We must, instead, invest in the local workforce.