Prime Minister Luc Mercelina telling Parliament about his intention to seek additional staff for Personnel and Organisation (P&O) and even to explore contracting a recruitment agency (see Wednesday newspaper) seemed almost ironic. Government must thus hire persons and possibly businesses to help find others who can fill its vacancies.
However, that is today’s reality of St. Maarten, because according to him current capacity problems lead to people applying for public sector jobs without getting responses. Earlier this month the prime minister (General Affairs) said P&O had only two personnel advisors, one of whom is already beyond retirement age.
He called it a “fragile” department, as the Section Head Personnel position and several support functions are vacant too. On top of that, the ministry’s Secretary General has also been serving as acting Head of P&O.
Discussions on the issue were held with the Temporary Work Organisation (TWO) guiding implementation of a so-called country package of reforms agreed on with the Netherlands. The goal is to give this matter priority among the improvement plans.
It might be an idea to somehow more closely involve the National Employment Service Center (NESC) at the Labour Division in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA. After all, they have the practical day-to-day experience with job applications needed.
