Over 300 more Jamaican farm workers head overseas this week
Published:Tuesday | July 15, 2025 | 7:59 PM
Over 300 Jamaican farm workers are departing the island this week for Canada under the Government’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme.
An official send-off ceremony was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Overseas Employment Centre on East Street in Kingston on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, 103 workers left Jamaica with another 209 set to leave on Wednesday morning, bringing the total to 312 participants in this week’s deployment.
Pearnel Charles Jr, Minister of Labour and Social Security, who addressed the workers, highlighted the strong rate of returning workers and the influence they have as ambassadors for Jamaica.
“We have almost 90 per cent that are returning, 10 per cent new, and many going back to the same farms because they have done a stellar job and they have been requested,” he said.
He also reminded participants: “For many persons in North America, both in the US and Canada, the only thing they know about Jamaica is you… Whatever impression you leave is the impression they will have of this entire country.”
Between January 1 and June 30, 2025, the Ministry, through the Overseas Employment Programme, has facilitated the placement of 6,886 Jamaican workers in Canada, the United States, and Guantanamo Bay.
Of this total, approximately 63.7 per cent, 4,393 workers, were placed in Canada, while 2,482 individuals secured opportunities in the United States. Additionally, eleven workers were deployed to Guantanamo Bay.
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