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Affordability testing high salaries

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Affordability testing high salaries

Barbados is one of the top three paying countries in the region, alongside The Bahamas and St Kitts and Nevis, for people in executive and specialised roles in particular, a new regional study has found.

However, The Caribbean Salary Survey Report: PayPulse 2025 also concluded that average salaries for some professionals and managers in Barbados and seven other countries “fall short of covering basic monthly living expenses”.

PayPulse 2025, the fourth in the series of such surveys conducted by the Caribbean Society for Human Resource Professionals, in collaboration with CaribbeanJobs, now includes an Affordability Index.

With an affordability threshold of 100 per cent, the index “measures how well a salary covers basic living expenses – electricity, water, food, fuel, and housing – for a family of four”. Researchers divided average monthly salary by total monthly cost of living to calculate affordability.

The society’s director Rik James and deputy chairman Vaughn McDonald responded to questions on the research findings, in particular the findings on Barbados.

“Barbados falls in the ‘above market value’ category for most professional and managerial roles. The report identifies Barbados as one of the top three paying countries in the Caribbean, alongside The Bahamas and St Kitts and Nevis, particularly for executive and specialised positions,” they said.

“However, Barbados’ Affordability Index of 72.95 per cent reveals a critical nuance: while Barbados pays competitive salaries in absolute terms, these salaries fall short of covering basic living expenses by about 27 per cent.

“This means that despite paying above regional market value, Barbados faces a challenging affordability environment where the high cost of living diminishes the purchasing power of those competitive salaries.

‘Consistency across sectors’

“The report concludes that Barbados features ‘balanced salary distribution with competitive pay for professional and managerial roles’ while maintaining ‘consistency across sectors, with certain specialised roles commanding significant premiums’.”

In addition to Barbados, Aruba (54.26 per cent), Turks and Caicos Islands (58.49 per cent), St Lucia (61.34 per cent), St Vincent and the Grenadines (70.78 per cent), Montserrat ((87.44 per cent), St Kitts and Nevis (92.20 per cent), and Trinidad and Tobago (93.43 per cent) had “challenging affordability”.

“The main takeaway is that in eight Caribbean countries, the average salary is insufficient to cover basic monthly living expenses for a family of four,” James and McDonald said.

“These findings highlight a disconnect between compensation levels and the cost of living, indicating that salary reforms and strategic compensation adjustments are needed to ensure workers can maintain a reasonable standard of living.”

Belize (233.99 per cent), Guyana (138.63 per cent), and Grenada (136.56 per cent) were deemed to have high levels of affordability, while The Bahamas (118.87 per cent), Antigua and Barbuda (105.87 per cent), and Jamaica (103.95 per cent were in the moderate category.

They explained that the Affordability Index was introduced “to reveal the true purchasing power of salaries across Caribbean markets”.

“The report acknowledges that competitive compensation must be understood not just in absolute dollar terms, but in relation to the actual cost of living in each country,” James and McDonald noted.

The index measures how well a salary covers basic living expenses – electricity, water, food, fuel, and housing – for a family of four.

They explained: “This innovation addresses a critical gap – while two countries might report similar salaries, the real quality of life and financial comfort those salaries provide can differ dramatically based on local living costs.”

By introducing this metric, PayPulse 2025 gives employers and employees a more complete picture of compensation adequacy across the region.”

James and McDonald shared that 20 companies from Barbados participated in the survey.

206 participating organisations

The report describes Barbados as having “balanced salary distribution with competitive pay for professional and managerial roles” and maintaining “consistency across sectors”.

The society said there was a 48 per cent increase in regional participation for PayPulse 2025, which collected data from 206 participating organisations across 20 Caribbean countries, with the survey covering 137 job roles across 34 industries.

The publication said that the construction, architecture and property sector had 87.3 per cent of roles paying below market value – the highest rate among surveyed industries.

“The hospitality, tourism and catering sector shows 40.4 per cent of roles paying below market value – the lowest rate among surveyed industries. Industries with highest average salaries include human resources; banking, financial services and insurance; and hospitality, tourism and catering,” the report added. (SC)

Emergency jabs after 100 children die of suspected measles in a month in Bangladesh

Nationnews Desk
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Emergency jabs after 100 children die of suspected measles in a month in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign after a fast-spreading measles outbreak is suspected of killing more than 100 people, mostly children, in what may be the country’s most lethal wave of the disease in recent history.

The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data.

More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed – a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year, local media report.

While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern.

“Vaccines are foundational to child survival,” Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the current measles outbreak was “putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.”

In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old.

But Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old.

The infections of these young infants “who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are especially alarming”, said Flowers from Unicef.

On top of routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years.

But these campaigns haven’t gone according to plan.

There have been no special measles vaccination campaigns since 2020, first because of Covid then because of the “political situation”, Sajjad told BBC Bangla.

Bangladesh experienced political upheaval in 2024, when massive anti-government protests toppled its long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina. An interim government took over after Hasina’s ousting, and only in February this year did the country elect a new government.

A measles vaccination campaign was supposed to be held in April this year, “but it did not happen”, Sajjad said.

A health official said procurement issues had led to a shortage of vaccines, including for measles, the Daily Star reported.

Many in Bangladesh have blamed the vaccine shortages on the former interim government, which oversaw a new vaccine procurement system.

But measles resurgences “are typically the result of these accumulated gaps rather than a single factor”, Unicef said in its statement.

“Bangladesh has a strong history of high immunisation coverage, but even small disruptions can lead to the gradual accumulation of immunity gaps over time.”

Along with international partners like Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign for measles and rubella , a milder disease with similar symptoms to measles.

This campaign, which started on Sunday, will be rolled out across 30 upazilas – sub-districts in Bangladesh – and targets more than 1.2 million children between six months and five years old.

The campaign will prioritise “children who have missed routine immunisation and are most vulnerable to severe illness and complications”, according to Unicef.

There will also be a particular focus on Dhaka, the densely populated capital, and Cox’s Bazar, home to crowded Rohingya refugee camps, Unicef said.

Besides the vaccination drive, health authorities are also publishing infographics that teach people how to identify and prevent measles. (BBC News)

Fire chief: Hydrants in good order

Tonisha Rock-Yaw
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Fire chief: Hydrants in good order

Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard is assuring the public that the island’s firefighting capacity remains solid, despite recent concerns about water shortages and fluctuating reservoir levels across parts of Barbados.

He told the DAILY NATION the Barbados Fire Service (BFS) has been monitoring conditions closely and remains confident that the network of fire hydrants is functioning effectively. He stressed that hydrant inspections are a core part of the department’s operational duties and carried out consistently to prevent any surprises during emergency responses.

“Our fire officers check the hydrants on a weekly basis, without fail. The reports we receive have consistently indicated that the majority of hydrants across the island are in good working condition. Whenever one is found to be defective, it is immediately reported to the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) for repairs. There is no delay, no waiting period; we treat it as an urgent matter every single time,” he explained.

Maynard noted that the close working relationship between the BFS and the BWA has helped ensure that any problems identified during inspections are dealt with swiftly.

He added that the system remains reliable, even as some communities have recently faced scheduled or unscheduled outages.

Questions have been raised in recent weeks about whether lower reservoir levels and intermittent water supply could hamper the fire service’s ability

to respond to emergencies. However, Maynard said they had not experienced any major setbacks. “At this point, we have not been negatively impacted by the lower reservoir levels. We monitor the situation extremely carefully and once we are aware that water is off in any particular area, we adjust our response automatically. We will dispatch additional water with our tankers so that we are not relying solely on the hydrants. In simple terms, we plan ahead so that the community is never put at risk.”

He said the fire service has been operating under this precautionary approach and officers are trained to boost resources whenever there is even a hint of diminished water supply.

“This is not something we take lightly. If we know an area is experiencing reduced water pressure or a full outage, we don’t take chances. We respond with the capacity we need from the outset. It is a proactive strategy and it has worked well for us.”

(TRY)

PM Browne writes to international groups to observe general election

Nationnews Desk
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PM Browne writes to international groups to observe general election

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has written to three regional and international organizations requesting that they send representatives to observe the general election, the date for which he is expected to announce later this week.

In hs letters to the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM)  Secretariat, the Organization of American  States (OAS) and the London-based Commonwealth  Secretariat, Browne wrote it is my intention, on Tuesday, 7 Apri 2026,  to announce the date for the holding of general  elections to elect a new government”.

Browne, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term as prime minister,  said that in these circumstances the Antigua and Barbuda government “would welcome  the presence of an Electoral Observer Mission,”  adding that “all customary facilities and courtesies accorded to previous Electoral Observer Missions will be extended”.

Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, acting under Section 60(1) of the Constitution and on the advice of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, dissolved the parliament paving the way for the general election five months ahead of the constitutional deadline.

The election is  expected to be a straight fight between the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP). One political party, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has already announced that it will not be fielding candidates in the elections.

In the last general election which was held on January 18,  2023, the ruling ABLP won nine of the 17 seats with the others going to the UPP and a lone independent candidate. (CMC)

St Lucy and St Michael to be fogged this week

Nationnews Desk
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St Lucy and St Michael to be fogged this week

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ fogging programme will target areas in St Lucy and St Michael this week.

There will be no fogging today, Easter Monday, but the Vector Control Unit will visit the following St Lucy communities tomorrow: Trents, Benthams, Luke Hill, Mount Gay, Cottage, and surrounding areas.

The team will stay in that parish and spray Harrises, Greenidges, Springer Road, Retreat Road, Higginson Road and their environs on Wednesday; and Half Moon Fort, Clinketts Gardens with Avenues, Fustic Village, Sutherland Nos 1 and 2 and Checker Hall Tenantry Nos 1 and 2 on Thursday.

The foggers will head to St Michael on Friday in Upper St Stephen’s Hill, Robinson Close, Phillips Road, Bristol Road, Southhampton Road, Dover Crescent, Plymouth Square and neighbouring districts.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the fog.

(BGIS)

No host yet for next CARIFTA Games

Ashminnie Moonsammy
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No host yet for next CARIFTA Games

No country has yet stepped forward to host the next CARIFTA Games, according to North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) president, Mike Sands.

Speaking during a media conference in St George’s, Grenada, today where the 53rd edition is being held, Sands said discussions were ongoing with several member federations, but a final decision had not been reached.

“We don’t have a host yet, but there are some good prospects… I’m confident that you’ll know real soon,” he said, adding that he expected a country to come forward as the event continued its long-standing run.

Sands noted that hosting the Games remained a significant undertaking, while commending Grenada for stepping in on relatively short notice to stage this year’s edition.

He also highlighted the importance of continued investment in youth development programmes, pointing to initiatives such as kids’ athletics and age-group competitions as critical to strengthening the pathway from junior to elite levels.

World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe said the organisation would  continue to support regional bodies like NACAC in developing young talent.

He pointed to increased investment in CARIFTA in recent years and the expansion of global access to the Games through live streaming.

“This is the first time that these events have been live streamed outside of the rights holding broadcasters… the more people that have access to absorbing this young talent, the better it will be,” Coe said.

He added that greater visibility could help attract sponsorship and further strengthen development pathways across the region. (AM)

Gold medals for swim duo

Ezra Stuart
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Gold medals for swim duo

Barbados secured two gold medals as Mihael Sobers and Christian Vanderpool covered themselves in glory at the 2026 CARIFTA  Aquatics Championships yesterday at the Stade Georges Gratiant Lamentin in Martinique.

In the day’s first session, Heidi Stoute earned the first silver medal in the Girls’ 15-17 800 metres with her time of 9.27.49 minutes while Sobers won the Boys’ 13-14 1 500m in 17.29.23 minutes.

Vanderpool triumphed in an exciting 11-12 Boys’ 200-metre breaststroke event. Vanderpool, who was the fastest seed, lived up to his ranking, controlling the entire race and never looking like he was in any trouble. He touched the wall in 2:46.27 minutes.

Meanwhile, Heidi Stoute captured silver in the 13-17 Girls’ 800 metres freestyle, finishing behind Reagan Uszenski of the United States Virgin Islands.

The race started with Stoute on the back foot as Uszenski and a few others got the better start, but she soon established herself as one of the main contenders, jumping to second place after the first 100 metres.

Lap after lap of the pool, Stoute looked to have secured second place with her USVI rival slowly pulling away.

At the 650-metre mark, Stoute was behind by about 15 seconds and had a lot of work to do. However, she put on a late push to close the gap to just seven seconds, but it was enough.

Uszenski finished first in 9:20.15 minutes, with the Barbadian second in 9:27.49. Third place went the way of Antigua’s Madison MacMillan (9:32.77). (PR/EZS)

A father’s agony

Maria Bradshaw
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A father’s agony

“WHERE IS MY SON’S BODY!”

That was the anguished cry of Jeffrey Odle, the distraught father of Kemo Grant, who died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody in June 2024.

Odle visited The Nation recently to plead for information regarding his son’s body, which he found out was no longer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s (QEH) morgue.

“I went to the morgue three weeks ago and told them I came about my son’s body. They told me he isn’t there; that the body was only there for an autopsy and it is gone,” he recounted.

He returned yesterday and rang the bell at the morgue, only to be told again that his son was not there. He was advised to check with Paramount Funeral Home or the police.

No information

Kemo Grant died in police custody. (FILE)

“I really would like to know where my son is. I really would like to bury my son,” Odle said.

“To this day, I haven’t gotten a cause of death, no autopsy report, no information about my son and I would like some help – the public or somebody – to tell me where he is at.”

Odle’s stepdaughter Tricia Grant said she telephoned Paramount Funeral Home on Monday but was told it could not provide any information and she was directed to contact the police.

However, Shane Sealy, communications specialist at the QEH, offered a different account when contacted yesterday. He told The Nation the body had not been at their morgue since earlier this year and was currently located at Lyndhurst Funeral Home.

“According to officials at Lyndhurst, it is a police body,” Sealy stated.

Grant, 29, was arrested by police on June 8, 2024, at Eagle Hall, St Michael. He was found unresponsive in the prisoners’ cells at the Central Police Station in Bridgetown on June 9, 2024. Police reported at the time that an ambulance was summoned but none was available. Grant was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.

Fighting back tears, Odle said he was never informed that his son’s body had been moved from the QEH morgue and remained in the dark about its location.

When contacted, the family’s attorney, Tyra Trotman, who is also the St Michael Central Member of Parliament, indicated she was unaware the body had been moved. She raised concerns about the logistics of the situation.

“In any case, the family should have the body for burial, but who is responsible for the storage fees at the funeral home, since it was not the family who took the body there?” she asked.

The family had previously launched a civil case challenging a coroner’s order to have a general pathologist examine the body instead of a forensic pathologist. Trotman said the application was dismissed, with the judge ruling that the post-mortem be performed by a medical practitioner prescribed under the Coroner’s Act.

Legal fight

“The matter was decided not in favour of us. So at the time, the option was to get an appeal if they wanted, but of course, that would have involved legal fees,” the attorney said.

She noted that Grant’s sister, Tricia, who had been funding the legal fight, found it difficult to proceed further, effectively ending the challenge.

“The reason why we had requested the toxicology report is because the police were saying that he died basically because he overdosed – he ingested a toxic substance,” Trotman said.

“We wanted to make sure we got a toxicology report done so that they can’t say that it was because of that, because he also had a gash to his head.

“What we had speculated, but we can’t prove it, was that he actually died from internal bleeding from a blow to his head . . . .”

A grieving Grant lamented that she was forced to abandon the legal battle due to a lack of funds.

“If I could win the lottery, I would fight this to the end,” she said, as she reflected on the uncertainty surrounding her brother’s cause of death and the current location 0f his remains.

Easter Message 2026: From Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley

Nationnews Desk
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Easter Message 2026: From Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley

This Easter, as people across Barbados and the world reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I believe many of us are also searching for something deeper in this moment. We are living in a time when the world feels anxious, divided and unsettled, and here at home too, we can sometimes feel as though we are drifting further from each other than we ought to.

Easter reminds us that after pain can come renewal, after darkness can come light, and after the hardest of seasons, there is still the promise of rising.

The Bible tells us that on the third day, Jesus rose in fulfilment of the Scriptures. That fulfilment is a reminder to all of us that promises matter. So this Easter, I want to challenge us as a people to fulfil some promises of our own: the promise to be kinder to one another, the promise to look again at what we share in common, the promise to put community above cruelty, and the promise to restore the spirit of togetherness that has always been one of the best expressions of being Bajan.

We need a rebirth of closeness. A renewal of hospitality, kindness, decency and care. A return to the community spirit that taught us to look out for one another and to lift each other up.

May this Easter touch your heart, steady your spirit, and remind all of us that Barbados is at its best when we walk together.

I wish every Barbadian a blessed, peaceful and truly renewing Easter.

From calling to career: Khadija Williams leads with heart

Nationnews Desk
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From calling to career: Khadija Williams leads with heart

Khadija Williams sits at the helm of the Social Work Student Association (SWSA) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, as president, not once, but two times around.

It is a role the former Springer Memorial School student and pastor does not take  lightly.

Over the years, she brushed aside childhood dreams of one day becoming a movie star or a doctor, and took the advice of her mother, Heather Eversley-Williams, to “get into social work.”

Today, she is actively involved in child care and nursery management, and has settled in her mind that social work is where she will firmly plant her feet as she seeks to empower others – particularly single women and children.

Currently in the final year of completing her degree in social work, under the tutorship of field instructor Thérése James, and the supervision of Makeada Bourne, acting deputy manager at the National Council for Substance Abuse (NCSA), Khadija, who is already the author of three books – inclusive of two devotionals and a wedding guideline publication – is eager to put into action all she is learning in this field.

When she joined SWSA back in 2022 and was elected president that same year, Khadija knew she had a lot of work to do. 

She served from 2022 to 2023 and was re-elected last year to serve until May 2026.

She lays out her reasons for not only studying social work, but being a member of SWSA.

“Social work for me is about helping people to navigate their difficult systems and situations and advocating for those without a voice. This is what I want to do. I got into social work to help parents – especially single mothers and children who have no help from the fathers. I want to give additional support. When I do become a full-time social worker, I will be able to connect such persons to resources and opportunities that will help in changing their environment. I want to be able to empower these women and children so they won’t feel undervalued.”

Traumatic experiences

Since starting her internship, Khadija has come face-to-face with many people with traumatic experiences and have no idea what to do or what steps to take to remedy their situation. She wants more than anything else to lift these individuals from their sea of despair.

“Trauma is very prevalent. It could be the result of one’s environment, one’s home, poor parenting, even learning experiences and relationships at home, school, and work.

“If we can tackle issues before they escalate; if we can have family therapy and training for parents, then we would achieve much.”

Khadija’s work with SWSA has provided the perfect stepping stone for her to embrace all the various areas of social work. SWSA also serves as the official student body representing students enrolled in the university’s social work programme. It was established in 2013 as a student-led project by social work students at Cave Hill, and created to provide a structured and supportive platform for students to grow academically, professionally, and socially. 

The association plays a vital role in promoting student engagement, professional development, advocacy and peer support among social work students.

A student-led association, it advocates for student needs and welfare and is a platform for leadership, collaboration and professional development, with a structured body governed by an executive committee.

According to Khadija, it is also grounded in advocacy, service, leadership, career readiness and social responsibility.

In addition, SWSA actively advocates for communities across the island, and works to empower individuals and groups through outreach, education and engagement initiatives.

SWSA’s work is guided by macro-level social work practice, which focuses on community development, social change, and systemic impact.

As outlined in its vision, mission and objectives, and as shared by its president, “SWSA’s vision is to cultivate a vibrant and supportive community of social work students who are committed to social justice, professional excellence and transformative leadership.

“Its mission is to support and empower social work students by providing opportunities for professional development, student engagement, advocacy and wellness, and SWSA aims to foster a strong network of students who are prepared to contribute meaningfully to communities and the social work profession.”

Among its objectives, SWSA seeks to promote the academic and professional development of social work students; encourage active student participation and leadership within the university community; provide opportunities for networking with professionals in the social work and human services sectors; create safe spaces that support students’ well-being and personal growth, and raise awareness of social issues affecting individuals, families and communities

Sense of community

During Khadija’s current reign as president, the executive focused on revitalising the association, strengthening student engagement and participation and creating meaningful opportunities for students to develop both academically and professionally.  Through a series of meetings, outreach, activities, collaborative events with external organisations, awareness initiatives and wellness programmes, SWSA sought to build a stronger sense of community among students, while reinforcing the values and principles of the social work profession.

Activities under Khadija’s leadership reflected the commitment of the executive team to support students and the public holistically, while encouraging active participation in initiatives that promote social justice, well-being and professional growth.

SWSA’s events hosted during the 2025 and 2026 academic year saw Khadija and her team successfully partnering and collaborating with organisations and individuals who supported student development, contributed resources and gave of their expertise and services.

SWSA also knows the importance of building from within.

“While the association is helping student social workers to have the experience to execute what they can within the society, we also advocate for ourselves and others in the community,” Khadija shared.

When she steps down as president in May, Khadija wants to know that she would have made a difference within the association and in the lives of those with whom she came into contact as part of her social work studies.

“When I leave office in May, I would have wanted SWSA to have a name for itself – where everybody knows the association and knows that it is available to help with the needs of others. We have already been able to interact with over 1 000 individuals through Facebook, and my desire is for SWSA to be a household name.”

With all the time and dedication Khadija has given to SWSA and people in general, there is no doubt that she will be a social worker to be reckoned with. (Cheryl Harewood) 

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