Gov't increases allowance to Youth Summer Employment Programme participants

There will be a slight increase in the weekly allowance paid to participants in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development's Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) this year.
 
The 10,000 participants will now earn $17,000 per week tax-free for the four-week period of their engagement, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, disclosed on Tuesday.
 
This is $2,000 per week more than the old rate and a shade over the national minimum wage.
 
“In keeping with the Government's move to increase the minimum wage to $16,000, we have gone a little beyond the minimum wage,” McKenzie explained during the launch of YSEP 2025 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
 
Participants are between 16 and 29 years-old and are either in high school, university or “some advanced level of education,” according to McKenzie.
 
Starting July 4, they will be engaged by municipal corporations and other agencies that fall under the Ministry.
 
Administrative support, field work, and data collection are among the primary tasks they will be assigned, Mayor of Kingston Councillor Andrew Swaby disclosed.
 
“Each of these tasks is important in how we serve our people in our respective municipalities,” Swaby said during the launch ceremony.
 
McKenzie said the work of the participants over the years has assisted local authorities in collecting necessary data related to street lighting, derelict buildings, illegal garages, and identifying senior citizens who need assistance. 

- Livern Barrett

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