Shortage of Construction Workers as Antigua Booms, Says PM
Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Antigua and Barbuda is facing a labor shortage as a result of rapid economic growth and increased construction activity driven by foreign investment.
“We have a shortage of employment in a number of sectors—the hotel sector, the construction sector. We are actually importing construction workers now because we can’t find enough skilled labor.”
Browne noted the scope of upcoming developments and said the labor force is struggling to keep pace.
“The problem we have now is labor, in terms of the physical labor to build out these projects.”
He pointed to the national housing programme as one area directly affected.
“Even national housing—the housing construction has come to a screeching halt.”
The Prime Minister disclosed that the government is already in discussions to bring in foreign workers to fill the gap.
“We are likely to get in some workers, probably from the Dominican Republic. I know that Senator Rawdon is currently negotiating with the ambassador to the Dominican Republic to get some workers.”
He stressed that the influx of foreign labor is necessary to maintain momentum across the country’s development projects.
“I don’t recall at any point in the history of Antigua and Barbuda that we had to deliberately allow for the importation of foreign workers like that.”
According to Browne, the labor shortage is a direct consequence of the success of his administration’s investment-driven strategy.
“We have attracted significant investments that can take us for at least another five years… Things are really looking up.”
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As I told you Gaston and his ALP perfunctorily moan Chantels death and work out some diplomatic crap with that ambassador that was invited as ALP does things to assure the Santo Domingo people in Antigua here that they are safe to continue their prostitution and overrunning of our country for votes to the ALP, this guy Gaston is heartless, if they were clean in government the desperation to remain protected diplomatically by the state from prosecution for wrong doing in office and extradition abroad for crimes would not have been there priority. The Antiguan population just escaped the grip of the British colonial agenda conducted by the British Westminster system and the church and indoctrinated education are not capable of an ideology beneficial future development of Antigua black people, instead it’s a color of clothing system that was used to entice the people to organize themselves because of illiteracy, the color of the cloth red or blue doesn’t express to them anything about resources or economic impact in their personal life, the young people better form blocks like the different ethnicity and 1 percenter that control our corrupt politicians, divide our villages into blocks that when the politicians comes around we have a demand for infrastructure or other work that don’t happen when the politicians can sneak to voters one on one and bribe them with jam and turkey and petty cash. It could be expounded further but I am tired of this debacle meted out tus the black Antiguan and Barbudans.
Why not import workers from the other small islands?
I’m living in Antigua for many years…I know a lot of skilled people over here in Construction..But those are already working on projects..Mostly private development..They are goooood..But all of them are busy Making good money..There is a lot of young Antiguan and even 30 or 40 without a chance to get big jobs..Why…Skillless..Is the reality..They want to work, but they don’t have the skills, they don’t have tools, and without that you become useless in a sector that is growing a lot. Not average person can lay blocks correctly, or plaster a wall, or read a blue print and make it real…That isn’t easy.. Construction is a hard job and isn’t for weakness or people complaining about the sun or the heavy of the materials…It’s a job that drain your energy easily and not everyone is ready for it. Also you only gonna learn by working..Staying close to the oldest and be observant and learn the tricks, most people in Construction learn how to do things seeing others executing some task..That’s the main source of knowledge.
Here comes the cheap labour, the unchecked criminals, votes for ABLP and the ghettorisers.
Our construction and development should go at a pace that suits us the born and bread Antiguans and Barbudans. So no sense we give away our country just to import in foreign labour to fulfill. Our people are not benefiting. Any development our people must be left, right and center of it .
There is no shortage. Value, skills and propper pay are key. Then too been paid peanuts isn’t cutting it. So importing cheaper labour on promises of passport and eventually access to other places like USA is quite enticing.
100% correct
Why import workers when the country has so much skilled workers the government don’t want to pay the skilled workers here they prefer to bring in workers so they can pay them what they want why Dominican Republic, why not get workers from the Caribbean region smh
Government making its sound like the young don’t want to work and learn nothing….I’m just finding out that antigua doesn’t have skill workers really all these years no skilled workers smh
So much for OECS unity!!!!!
There is work shortage in St Vincent and Dominica. The protests in Dominica are for everything from work to food.
There is need for construction workers here.
Why are we going to Dominican Republic in search of construction workers when they can be found in the OECS?
Dominican Republic workers need work permits. Will the government wave that requirement? Is it intended as a cost saving policy where workers from Dominican Republic will be paid less than OECS workers who share the same currency with Antigua.
Why is it that when three is a shortage of workers or any other commodity in one island of OECS the first source of supply isn’t the other OECS islands.
Shortage of workers is just an excuse, this is just to sure up an election victory, by getting them on the voters list and after that turn certain communities in Antigua into a bigger ghetto, then we will see the crime rate hit the stratosphere
Could we invest in the future of Antigua by asking the contractor to take on jobless Antiguans as trainees, thus passing on skills to future generations .
There is no way that this should be allowed. If there really is a shortage of skilled labour then the government needs to actively go out and recruit the unemployed young men in the communities. Fast track them in the Harrison Institute (ABICE) to get the required training. It’s been almost a year since I first heard the PM talk about shortage of skilled labour. If you guys were really proactive, ABICE would right now be graduating more students to step in the the construction field.
Why should your first thought be to import foreign labour? And if that is the case why from the DR when there might be labour available in the other OECS countries. Teaching people a skill and getting them work will gain you more political mileage and loyalty down the road. You guys really don’t put Antiguans first.