"Rain a fall but dutty tuff."
With all the recent claims of progress in the economy and all the macro-economic indicators finally aligning in the country's favor, the Jamaican dollars meanwhile, is on a sliding spree against the US dollar. To add insult to injury food prices have gone up, the average middle class person Jamaica can't afford a house, and while there is the claim that unemployment has gone down, many Jamaicans wonder how they will survive until the next pay check.
A recent article published by the Sunday Gleaner revealed that many young people, millennial as they are called, struggle to find good paying jobs especially those who completed tertiary level education. See article here.
Could there be a simple solution for the problem of underemployment? There could be, but it may require moving to another country, to a new experience. Fortunately, your next job may not require that you move thousands of miles away from family and friends. It could be just next door in one of the nations within the CARICOM.
The CSME (Caribbean Single Market Economy) provides the opportunity for CARICOM member states to be more integrated in their interactions with each other for mutual benefit of their citizens. Among other things, the CSME was created to address the shortfall of gainful employment. It therefore allows Caribbean nationals the freedom to seek more and potentially better employment within the region.
According to Article 46 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Caribbean nationals can "seek work and/or engage in gainful employment in any of the participating CSME Member States, without the need to obtain a work permit in the Member State in which he/she wishes to work" (Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Govt. of Trinidad and Tobago).
How to apply for CSME jobs:
Persons who wish to work in the CSME must apply for what is called a CARICOM Skills Certificate. This is how you obtain one:You apply through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. You would first contact the Ministry and inform them of your interest in applying, they will then send you an application form (via email) after they have determined that you qualify for the Certificate.
Along with the completed form, the following documents are required:
• A certified copy of the applicant’s birth certificate
• A copy of the bio data page of his or her passport. This copy should be signed by a Justice of the Peace
• A police report from the country in which he or she has resided for the last three years
• Three certified passport-sized photographs
• Documents indicating a name change (marriage certificate or deed poll documents), if applicable
• A certified copy of University Degree, Associate Degree, Diploma, professional qualifications (ACCA, AAT etc.) Certificate NCTVET – Level 2 (HEART/Trust NTA), as applicable
• For employed or self-employed persons, a cover letter detailing the purpose for application
Applicants are also required to pay a processing fee of $2,000. Applications must be submitted to the Work Permit Department of the Ministry. Processing is carried out within eight weeks.
Following this, the applicant or a representative may collect the certificate after paying a fee of $8,000.
Who Qualifies to work in the CSME?
- University Graduates
- Artistes
- Musicians
- Media Workers
- Sportspersons
CARICOM nations that are part of the CSME:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Barbados
- Belize
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
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References:
1. Sunday Gleaner. "Millennials struggling to survive on low-paying jobs." Retrieved November 10, 2019. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20191020/millennials-struggling-survive-low-paying-jobs
2. Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs. "CSME." Retrieved November 10, 2019.
https://foreign.gov.tt/services/csme/
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