Antigua and Barbuda has ‘practically full employment,’ says PM Browne

Antigua and Barbuda: Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Antigua and Barbuda is experiencing “practically full employment” during a recent parliamentary address in response to a question from the opposition leader.

He put forward this statement even as he acknowledged that the country needs an updated labour market survey while crediting ongoing investments in tourism, housing and infrastructure for creating jobs across the economy.

The issue was raised in Parliament, when Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle asked whether the government had conducted a labour market survey and, if so, when the last one was done. PM Browne replied that the last survey may have been conducted around 2016 - 2017 and that a current one was duly needed, “I will accept that we need to do a current one,” he said.

Speaking on Point FM, Browne said the country’s development drive has left few people without work. “People are working,” he told listeners.

He also attributed the recent increase in work permit requests to the wide availability of jobs in the country. He said people are entering Antigua and Barbuda regularly and are not only looking for work, but actually finding jobs.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister blamed locals for seeking jobs they are ill-qualified for while employers continue to report difficulty filling vacancies. He listed security, domestic work and hotel jobs among the areas where employers are facing challenges finding local workers.

The PM continued to argue that policies pursued by his administration have expanded opportunities in both the public and private sectors, highlighting major hotel projects, housing schemes and government-funded infrastructure upgrades as key drivers of employment.

This comes amidst the backdrop of the forecast for economic growth in Antigua and Barbuda being revised downward for this fiscal year.

The Prime Minister who is also the Finance Minister of Antigua and Barbuda says this is due in large measure to external shocks, including the ripple effects from the war in the Middle East, which has pushed up some global commodity prices. So, the initial growth forecast for growth in real Gross Domestic Product of 6 per cent has had to be shaved to about 4 per cent. He expressed hopes of normalisation in the fourth quarter.

The country seems divided in response to his statement as some support the PM in his opinion while others question the ambiguity of the statement provided that there is no concrete official evidence for the same.