3,500 Tourism Workers Certified as Minister Pushes Industry Reform

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has called for a transformative overhaul of the labor market in the tourism sector, advocating for a system that values, certifies, and remunerates workers based on their qualifications and contributions.

Speaking at the second annual Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) Awards and Recognition Ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall on Thursday (December 5), Minister Bartlett commended the accomplishments of over 3,500 tourism industry workers and high school students who earned international certifications during the financial year. These individuals were recognized for achieving qualifications in disciplines ranging from lifeguarding to customer service and hotel management.

“This graduation ceremony is the culmination of a series of preparations with various international certification institutions and partners, such as AHLEI, ACF, HEART/NSTA Trust and the Ministry of Education,” said the Minister.

“These designations are critical as they are part of the pivot we are taking to enable a professional industry.”

Minister Bartlett stressed the importance of professionalizing the tourism sector to ensure its sustainability and called for a departure from the outdated perception of tourism workers as casual laborers. He noted the significant challenges casual workers face, including limited tenure, restricted mobility, and inadequate remuneration.

The Minister underscored that a reformed labor market would promote equity, merit-based systems, and accurate valuation of workers’ contributions, leading to greater confidence and job security among employees.

“The pivot for us is to create a new labor market arrangement in tourism where workers can feel far more confident in their tenure,” he explained. “The value of their labor must be properly assessed and remunerated. That’s the fix, and for those who are anxious for us to fix it, that’s how we will fix it.”

Minister Bartlett also addressed the financial pressures tourism businesses face, particularly their reliance on casual labor to control costs, which he identified as a source of industrial disruption.

“Labor, in most instances, represents the largest percentage of costs in companies, and tourism is highly labor-intensive,” he pointed out. “Consider a hotel employing 2,000 or 3,000 people, with 70 or 80 percent being casual labor who are not certified, not classified, and not remunerated according to classification. This causes industrial disruptions as people don’t have a sense of their true value in the workplace, and they take what they get.”

Amidst these challenges, the JCTI has emerged as a pivotal force in preparing a skilled and certified workforce to meet global standards. The organization, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), has been instrumental in advancing human capital development in Jamaica’s tourism sector.

The Minister’s vision for the future includes a reimagined labor market where tourism workers enjoy greater job security, fair compensation aligned with their qualifications, and a sense of value and belonging in the industry. This initiative aligns seamlessly with JCTI’s mandate to support innovation and human capital development in the tourism sector, positioning Jamaica as a global leader in workforce excellence.

SEEN IN IMAGE: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, delivers the keynote address at the JCTI Awards and Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. In his remarks, he called for a transformative overhaul of the tourism labor market, emphasizing the need for a system that values, certifies, and fairly remunerates workers based on their qualifications and contributions.

Media Contact:

Alyssa Taffe

Communications Officer

Tourism Enhancement Fund

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Tel: 1(876)908-5970/ Cell: 1-876-441-5055