Looking for a Job?

With over 420 persons registering, the Department of Employment Relations’ job registration drive is being successful.

“We encourage job seekers to keep on registering with us as a growing number of diverse jobs are being listed with the department every day. There is a demand for a variety of workers and failure to register may cause a person to miss a job opportunity,” said Deputy Director Joan Watler.

Since the passing of Hurricane Ivan the department had over 850 registered job seekers available for employment. This number included those who registered at the Chamber of Commerce’s initial job drive as well as Employment Relations’ district job initiatives. Many persons also went into the office to register.

Statistics produced by the department show that most work permit holders who registered are seeking domestic work. Caymanians and persons married to Caymanians are mainly looking for employment in the administrative or retail field.

After the initial push for all persons in the construction field, employers’ greatest demand now is for people with technical skills, such as electricians and plumbers.

The Department of Immigration confirmed this trend, reporting that most applications that have been dealt with lately are from technically skilled persons such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers, rather than from those applying in finance or in the tourism industry. Many applications that are currently being processed also concern transfers from the emergency temporary work permits that were issued immediately after Hurricane Ivan, to regular temporary or long-term work permits.

Employment Relations urged those looking for work in any field to register without delay as this information is passed onto the Immigration Board and is used when they decided on the grant of work permits.

“We can’t necessarily predict the overall trends and shifts in employment needs, especially with the hurricane’s impact changing the type of jobs being sought as well as the jobs on offer. In light of this, it will be difficult to say exactly what the next few months will bring. However, with companies re-establishing themselves over the next few months and with the launch of the tourist season, we can hope to see a reduction in unemployment,” Ms Watler commented.

People can register at the Department of Employment Relations at the old Royal Bank building on the 2nd floor. They can also access the department’s website at www.italic.com or call 945-3114 for more information.