BRADES, Montserrat (January 27, 2011) – Minister of Labor Charles Kirnon recently represented Montserrat at the Global Jobs Pact symposium in Barbados on January 25 and 26, 2011.

The symposium, jointly sponsored by the Caribbean Development Bank and the International Labour Organisation, was themed “Addressing the effects of the global economic crisis on labour markets in the Caribbean and preparing for sustainable and decent employment: The role of the Global Jobs Pact.”

According to a release from the CDB, “faced with the unprecedented financial crisis of 2008, the ILO constituents – governments, employers and workers saw the crisis as a global employment crisis. Concerned that employment would recover at a much slower pace than the financial systems, they created the Global Jobs Pact.”

The Pact builds on the Decent Work Agenda and proposes measures and policies to:

- retain women and men in employment
- sustain enterprises, especially small, medium and micro enterprises;
- support job creation, and facilitate rapid re-entry into employment
- promote investment in employment-intensive sectors, including green jobs;
- protect persons and families affected by the crisis through social protection systems;
- equip the workforce with the skills needed for today and tomorrow.

The two-day symposium brought together participants from academia, employers’ and workers’ organizations, the business community, national and regional stakeholders, regional government officials and bilateral and multilateral development partners.

The impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Caribbean labour markets was assessed, with discussions on the role of the private sector in minimizing the effects of the crisis.

Other areas addressed included regulatory control structures for the financial sector to minimize risks; increased access to credit markets for Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and policies and programmes to stimulate trade, investments, competitiveness, and job opportunities.