Barbados has been making sure citizens of the country are not losing out on employment opportunities.
The assertion came yesterday from the country’s Chief Immigration Officer Margaret Inniss, who revealed that nearly 1 700 people entered the island under the CARICOM free movement regime during the past eight months.
Speaking before Parliament’s Joint Select Committee (standing) examining the Barbados Citizenship Bill yesterday in the Upper House, Inniss disclosed that between October 1 last year and the end of May, 1 696 people arrived from participating CARICOM member states under the free movement arrangement.
Inniss stressed that the Immigration Department played an active role in scrutinising work permit applications to ensure that Barbadians and eligible CARICOM nationals were not unfairly overlooked.
She explained that where employers sought work permits for foreign nationals, immigration officials required evidence of recruitment efforts and examined the reasons local or regional applicants were rejected.
“If you submit an application and you are denying a Barbadian or a CARICOM person, we will ask to see the applications and the rationale for denying the person,” she said.
Officials also review applicants’ qualifications and experience before any decision is made. Inniss noted that not every employer who advertised a position and subsequently applied for a work permit would automatically receive approval.
At the same time, the Chief Immigration Officer acknowledged concerns about declining skills in some sectors and said Government was examining ways to address labour shortages while maintaining protections for local workers.
She said some investors, including Barbadian business owners, had sought permission to recruit overseas workers to help ensure the success of their operations.
Inniss welcomed discussion on measures aimed at tightening aspects of the immigration system to ensure that Barbadians and CARICOM nationals continued to enjoy equal access to employment opportunities.
The chief revealed that of the 1 696 people who came to Barbados in the past eight months, 700 registered with the Ministry of Labour, suggesting that many were seeking to use their skills and qualifications in Barbados’ labour market.
“Approximately half of those persons are persons who basically are indicating that they have skill sets that they’d like to use in Barbados,” Inniss told the committee.
However, she acknowledged concerns that some employers might attempt to tailor recruitment exercises to secure specific foreign workers rather than hiring locally available talent.
“Let’s not fool ourselves,” she said. “There are persons who want their persons to work, so they design whatever they design to say, this is the person that I want to work with me.”
While accepting that employers must make operational decisions in the best interests of their businesses, she said that efforts should first be made to identify and develop local talent.
“Barbadians have a right to employment in this country,” she said. “You look locally first, and then you can look regionally.” (BA)