Permanent Secretary in the Ministry responsible for Labour, Mr. Elvis Newton and Labour Commissioner, Mr. Spencer Amory were among officials who participated in an OECS meeting of Permanent Secretaries and Labour Commissioners in St. Lucia.
The meeting was convened by the OECS Secretariat to discuss and resolve the various challenges confronting the OECS- Departments of Labour in setting up Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) in their respective countries.
The International Labour Department provided technical assistance for the meeting following the completion of the pilot phase of the computerisation of the OECS-DoLs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
St. Kitts and Nevis is among other countries where the system was subsequently installed. Work is ongoing in St. Kitts and Nevis to integrate the software into the normal work plan with a view to setting up of stakeholders who will own and operate the national labour market information system.
Installation of the system at the Labour Department was achieved through collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and the International Labour Organisation which provided initial training for personnel who will utilise the system.
When fully operational, the Labour Market Information System will enhance the Department’s capacity to generate more reliable, timely and internationally comparable labour Market information for use at the national level. The system will also foster closer collaboration among employers, trade unions, education and training institutions and policy makers in the production, use and dissemination of labour market information.
The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is committed to the full implementation and use of this system which will contribute to more effective labour, employment and labour market policies in the Federation. This is a necessity if the Federation is to better respond to the new challenges impacting the country’s efforts to pursue economic programmes which require competent, reliable and adequate numbers of human resources.