How we'll get Bermudians back to work

FRIDAY, FEB. 24: Over the past few months, there has been a lot of talk about what needs to be done to turn our economy around.

Mr Bob Richards, Mr Larry Burchall, and Sir John Swan have been flooding the media making comments on current Government policies and making suggestions about what can be done to stimulate the economy. While those conversations have achieved lots of buzz, they have done absolutely nothing to create job opportunities for unemployed Bermudians.

The unemployed need help and they need help now. Since the beginning of the economic downturn, the unemployed have had no voice.

I haven’t heard of or seen any group or individual rise to the forefront to represent the interest of the unemployed or working poor in this country.

The bottom line is that Bermudians need to get back to work immediately, as too many families on this island are suffering.  There are 38,000 jobs in Bermuda and we have a Bermudian labour force 30,000; in theory everyone in Bermuda should be employed. Some say we need an increase in foreign investment to create more jobs.

More jobs are great but that is not what is needed, what is needed are strategies that are going to get our displaced workforce employed again.

The problem is, Bermudians either can’t get or don’t want employment in low skilled jobs. Or, they can’t find or are under qualified for employment in higher-skilled jobs. I believe that there are short-term and long-term solutions to getting Bermudians back to work.

The short-term solution is the path the Government is heading down, that is making lower-skilled jobs available by reducing the supply of foreign labour in those areas through work permit moratoriums.

The mindsets of Bermudians also need to change from what was to what is. There is a new reality in Bermuda and jobs of before are no longer around. We need to get back into the hotels, the restaurants, the garages, the paint shops, and the hospitals. There are opportunities for Bermudians in these areas and we must take advantage of them. So, the short-term solution is for Bermudians to capitalize on low-skilled jobs being made available, in addition to re-entering the service industries where there is a need for Bermudian labour.

However, in order for this to work, business owners and human resource departments must come clean. No more bogus newspaper ads, where jobs are advertised to target foreign workers. No more lying to the Immigration Department to import cheaper human resources.  Employers must give Bermudians a fair chance of employment.  They need to cut the excuses, we are not all lazy and every unemployed Bermudian is not a horror story.

The long term solution is one that is focused on education. Bermudians must retool themselves for job opportunities that exist. Countries that have higher post-world recession employment are those with natural resources that are in demand and have a highly-skilled and educated population.

We must prepare ourselves so that we can get jobs in the international business sector and the industries that fuel that sector.

I am talking specifically about careers as accountants, lawyers, underwriters, actuaries, investment managers, and human resource managers. Companies would love to be domiciled in a place where the local labour force has the required skills that they need to effectively carry out their operations.

We need to stop settling for less and push through whatever ceiling that is keeping us trapped in our current state of mind.

The problem with the long term solution is that we can’t make the workforce acquire the skills that are needed; it has to be driven by an individual’s will. The Government has a role to play, in that they must provide Bermudians with a quality pre-tertiary education. One that provides our young Bermudians with the foundation that is needed to succeed in today’s Bermuda.

What is also needed, are fast track programmes that will provide Bermudians who have a first degree with an educational path that will provide them with the necessary skills to cater to the international business sector. Government must also put policies in place that assist Bermudians that are skilled to get into these companies.

Many Bermudians seek employment within public service because of the perception that it is a safe place of employment.

However, with the country’s declining revenues, the question is how long the will public service remain at its current size?

I personally believe that a contraction in public service personnel is inevitable, however I also feel that it would be irresponsible for the Government to let go of individuals when there are few job opportunities in the country. Government has already begun to cut the fat and they will reach the meat (workers) soon.

So are public services workers going to begin to retool themselves for the foreseeable future or are we going to be ill-prepared?

There are many who condemn the Government for the current size of the public service and the workers get called every name in the book.  Despite all the criticism, the Government has shown their commitment to the public service workers and chosen to keep them employed. That is commendable! 

Once we create employment for the lower-skilled workers and the highly-skilled workers, the middle tier of the labour force will automatically find its equilibrium, where the demand for jobs will equal the natural supply.

• Jason Hayward is First Vice President, Bermuda Public Services Union.