{"id":14597,"date":"2018-04-16T20:21:28","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T00:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=14597"},"modified":"2018-04-16T20:21:28","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T00:21:28","slug":"jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/","title":{"rendered":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Monday\u00a0told\u00a0 Jamaica that continued reform implementation will not only safeguard hard-won gains but also deliver stronger growth and job creation.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The IMF Executive Board earlier this month concluded a review of the US$1.68 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the IMF in a statement said after five years of reforms and tenacious fiscal \u00a0consolidation, risks from reform fatigue and loss of social support are high, especially as growth remains feeble and crime escalates.<\/p>\n

\"IMMMMF\"<\/a>\u201cAddressing some of the entrenched structural problems that hamper growth is not an overnight task; these difficult reforms require continued broad-based support and policymakers\u2019 commitment to persevere with the implementation,\u201d the IMF noted.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Washington-based financial institution said that the economic reform programme, which began in May 2013, has been a turning point for Jamaica.
\n\u201cWith broad-based social and political support for reforms, the Jamaican government\u2014over two administrations\u2014has embarked on a path of fiscal discipline, monetary and financial sector reforms, and wide-ranging structural improvements to break a decades-long cycle of high debt and low growth.\u201d<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The IMF said that considerable progress has been achieved on macroeconomic policies and outcomes, noting that fiscal discipline, anchored by the Fiscal Responsibility Law, has been essential to reduce public debt and secure macroeconomic stability.<\/p>\n

It said employment is at historic highs, inflation and the current account deficit are modest, international reserves are at a comfortable level, and external borrowing costs are at historical lows.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cGrowth and social outcomes, however, have been discouraging. Economic growth continues to disappoint, averaging only 0.9 percent since the reforms began. Entrenched structural obstacles, including crime, bureaucratic processes, insufficient labour force skills, and poor access to finance, continue to hinder productivity and growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, the agricultural sector\u2019s vulnerability to weather shocks exacerbated rural poverty in 2015. Not addressing these bottlenecks could pose risks for continued public support for the government\u2019s policy\u201d.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The IMF said that structurally reducing the wage bill is critical for the government to reprioritize spending toward growth-enhancing projects. It said more expenditure is needed for infrastructure, citizen security, building agricultural resilience, health, education, and the social safety net.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cCreating the space for such spending will require going beyond temporary remedies like wage freezes and adjustments to non-wage benefits. It will require high-quality measures to (i) overhaul the compensation structure to retain skills and reward performance, (ii) streamline the vast and inequitable allowa<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Monday\u00a0told\u00a0 Jamaica that continued reform implementation will not only safeguard hard-won gains but also deliver stronger growth and job creation. The IMF Executive Board earlier this month concluded a review of the US$1.68 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the IMF in a statement said after five years of reforms and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-regional"],"yoast_head":"\nJAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Monday\u00a0told\u00a0 Jamaica that continued reform implementation will not only safeguard hard-won gains but also deliver stronger growth and job creation. The IMF Executive Board earlier this month concluded a review of the US$1.68 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the IMF in a statement said after five years of reforms and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/D017ABEE-E471-4E3D-86EC-9D2585BD7EC6-3035-0000027FEADEE878.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"776\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"436\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\"},\"wordCount\":399,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Regional\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\",\"name\":\"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica","og_description":"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Monday\u00a0told\u00a0 Jamaica that continued reform implementation will not only safeguard hard-won gains but also deliver stronger growth and job creation. The IMF Executive Board earlier this month concluded a review of the US$1.68 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the IMF in a statement said after five years of reforms and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":776,"height":436,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/D017ABEE-E471-4E3D-86EC-9D2585BD7EC6-3035-0000027FEADEE878.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica","datePublished":"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00","dateModified":"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/"},"wordCount":399,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg","articleSection":["Regional"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/","name":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00","dateModified":"2018-04-17T00:21:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMMMMF.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/jamaica-imf-issues-warning-to-jamaica\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"JAMAICA-IMF issues warning to Jamaica"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14597\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}