Dear Editor,
The PNP, led by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, as one of its first-year achievements listed the perceived impact of the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) at about 15,000 jobs (if my figure is out, bear with me).
A rough estimate of time on a JEEP job is in the range of 1.8 to 3.8 days. As such, some who were in the first batch would have been at maximum 3.8 days, three to four months ago or longer; and perhaps have had no job since then, except a bit of "hustling" to "eat a food".
It is not just the number of jobs created that counts; quality matters. The quality of jobs matters not only for the worker who receives fair wages on time, but for all workers and their families. This is because a job is a critical pathway out of poverty for most people.
Jobs that are good for development contribute to fundamental changes in society by raising living standards and improving social cohesion and productivity. Such societies like Jamaica are conducive to a healthy business environment, which in turn creates good jobs.
Internationally, the good job is defined as that which does more to support three fundamental transformations in society:
1. Social cohesion,
2. Living standards, and
3. Productivity.
Can the Hon Derrick Kellier, minister of labour, tell us which of the above three does a JEEP job seriously impact?
Dr Charles Demontaque
Stafford University
c/o 101 Weybrige Road
Addlestone Road, Surrey
United Kingdom
charlesdemontaque@yahoo.co.uk
Job quality very important
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The PNP, led by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, as one of its first-year achievements listed the perceived impact of the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) at about 15,000 jobs (if my figure is out, bear with me).
A rough estimate of time on a JEEP job is in the range of 1.8 to 3.8 days. As such, some who were in the first batch would have been at maximum 3.8 days, three to four months ago or longer; and perhaps have had no job since then, except a bit of "hustling" to "eat a food".
It is not just the number of jobs created that counts; quality matters. The quality of jobs matters not only for the worker who receives fair wages on time, but for all workers and their families. This is because a job is a critical pathway out of poverty for most people.
Jobs that are good for development contribute to fundamental changes in society by raising living standards and improving social cohesion and productivity. Such societies like Jamaica are conducive to a healthy business environment, which in turn creates good jobs.
Internationally, the good job is defined as that which does more to support three fundamental transformations in society:
1. Social cohesion,
2. Living standards, and
3. Productivity.
Can the Hon Derrick Kellier, minister of labour, tell us which of the above three does a JEEP job seriously impact?
Dr Charles Demontaque
Stafford University
c/o 101 Weybrige Road
Addlestone Road, Surrey
United Kingdom
charlesdemontaque@yahoo.co.uk
Job quality very important
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