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12. MICRO INVESTMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SELF START FUND - These public
bodies are woefully undercapitalized and the government should re-
examine their mission and increase their capital to provide loans and equity
investment to grow MSME BUSINESSES that are focused on growing crops,
manufacturing goods and services for the export market and to MSME's
that also manufacture goods for the local market to reduce imports. This
policy change will create jobs and grow the economy.
13.JAMPRO's BUDGET SHOULD BE DOUBLED TO ENABLE IT TO MORE
ROBUSTLY FULFILL ITS MISSION TO FIND NEW MARKETS FOR JAMAICA's
PRODUCTS INCLUDING MERCHANDISING AND TO ATTRACT NEW FOREIGN
INVESTORS TO JAMAICA. This mission is more crucial now more than ever
with the USA reopening trade and diplomacy with Cuba. THIS POLICY
CHANGE WILL GROW THE ECONOMY.
14. Until our economy develops its own internal growth momentum, we must
develop a formal overseas work recruitment programme similar to the
Farm Work and Hotel Workers programmes, that seeks job opportunities
overseas for a wider range of locally available skill sets that are unemployed
or underemployed in Jamaica.
A number of illicit operators have been scamming unsuspecting victims.
The government should regulate the sector, register and license qualified
operators and charge a fee of these employment agencies as well as a fee
from successful applicants for overseas work.
The benefits gained would be increased remittances and government
revenue and exposing more or our workers to an international work ethic
that will redound to everyone’s benefit from increased productivity.
15. Ban the importation of construction workers unless their skills certification
do not exist in Jamaica. This must be proved beyond the shadow of a
doubt. This nonsense about importing unskilled labourers by the hundreds