Minister of Labour Colin Jordan.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--Minister of Labour Colin Jordan on Tuesday pushed back against concerns that an increase in construction-related work permits may be side-lining Barbadian workers, insisting that the local construction sector is experiencing a boom in demand for skilled labour and that “a lot of [Barbadians – Ed.] are at work”.
Responding to questions raised after the Immigration Department reported a recent up-tick in applications for work permits, Jordan acknowledged the rise but dismissed any suggestion that it signals widespread displacement of Barbadian workers.
Last week, Immigration Officer Jennifer Callender said there was an increase in work permit applications over the past two years.
In 2023, 2,194 applications were submitted to the department. Of those, she said, 237 were long-term and 1,414 were short-term. In 2024, 2,815 applications were made. She explained that from January to August, there were 140 long-term permits and 1,068 short-term. While data for September to December has not yet been aggregated, she said there were an additional 1,600 applications.
Callender attributed the increase in permit applications to the rise in new builds such as hotels – Indigo Hotel, Hyatt, Royalton and Pendry, for example – and other major construction projects, including the new geriatric hospital.
She added that the applications were mainly coming from people from Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America, as well as further afield, including India and China.
The immigration official further noted that in a number of instances, the new builds required work “beyond the scope of our local labour market”.
Jordan said there was no reason for alarm.
“Our unemployment rate is 7.1%. It has only been lower at one other time, and that was in 2007, when it was 6.9%,” he said. “That suggests to me that a lot of people are at work.”
The increase in work permit applications has sparked public concern about whether Barbadians are being passed over for jobs in major ongoing projects.
But Jordan insisted that the data and ground-level reports suggest otherwise.
“We want Barbadians to be able to work. That is not a question,” he stated. “We are putting construction and training programmes in place to bring Barbadians up to speed. Barbadians – skilled people, as far as we can tell – are getting a lot of work.”
He cited anecdotal evidence to support the assertion of a tight labour market, noting long delays for services such as tailoring and home repairs.
“I had one tailor in my house for about five to seven months before he had a chance to be able to give me his attention. It took nearly a year,” Jordan said. “People are complaining. They can’t even get quotations. People want to know how much it will take, and you’ve got to be calling tradespeople over and over to get it. That is what we are hearing. So they obviously are full of work.”
He also pointed to the Barbados Construction Gateway Training Initiative, launched in 2022, as a major driver of workforce development. The national upskilling programme equips Barbadians with technical skills in areas such as steel bending, well digging, welding, backhoe operation and bricklaying. The initiative is designed to feed trained workers directly into the construction industry and reduce reliance on imported labour.
But Jordan emphasised that Gateway graduates are typically entry-level and still need to gain hands-on experience.
“Construction Gateway does not produce an air-gas mix carpenter,” he explained. “It allows you to get into the field. If you want to be skilled, you still have to go where the skilled people are.”
Noting that construction work is physically demanding, Jordan also suggested that job uptake may be influenced by personal preferences.
“Not everybody wants to work in construction. Not everybody wants to work in agriculture,” he said. “So even if unemployment was 15%, bringing skilled workers would not necessarily mean that you are displacing Barbadians. It depends on if Barbadians want to work in the area.”
The labour minister added that the ministry’s focus remains on building national capacity to meet demand while ensuring local workers are not sidelined.
“Our responsibility is to make sure that Barbadians who want to be engaged in the construction industry can do so and that they are not displaced,” Jordan said. “At this point, nothing has come to my attention that suggests that there is any displacement. But we will continue to monitor that situation.” ~ Barbados TODAY ~
