Review needed
THE Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership Relations is being advised to examine the operations of the Liaison Service Offices in Canada and the United States (US), to determine how best to restructure them to better serve the interest of Barbados.
That’s the recommendation from Auditor General Leigh Trotman, in the 2020 Auditor General’s Report. His suggestion is based on the findings of a special audit that was conducted on this country’s Employment Recruitment Programmes in the two North American countries, for the period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2020. These programmes, the report explained, facilitate recruitment of Barbadians to supplement employment in the agricultural sector in Canada and the hospitality sector in both countries.
Based on information gathered through interviews with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry; the Director of Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS); Liaison Officers of the Liaison Service Offices in Canada and US; and other Ministry officials, as well as relevant files and documents from the agencies, it was determined that the programmes were not reaching their full potential. To accomplish that, the Auditor General is suggesting that new strategies need to be “developed, implemented, measured and monitored” to guarantee that the advantages originally anticipated could be achieved, thereby ensuring that the programmes are “not a drain on the public purse”.
His comments came as he noted in the report that the Barbados Government has spent roughly $5.17 million on the operations of the Liaison Service Offices in Canada and US over the past six years. The report further noted that while the purpose for the establishment of the Liaison Service Offices was to recruit Barbadians to work in the US and Canada, and earn foreign exchange for the country, no workers were recruited to work in the US during that period, and the numbers in Canada declined. Therefore, this resulted in limited foreign exchange being earned.
In terms of the Liaison Service Office in Canada, it was noted that Barbadians were recruited for the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme (SAWP) and the Temporary Foreign Workers Programme (TFWP) and the expenditure incurred for the running of that office totalled $3.26 million for the period under review. It was revealed that for the SAWP, the number of Barbadian workers has steadily declined since 1989, when it reached 1,032, and for the period under review only 162 Barbadians participated, despite the fact that the programme has been growing steadily, and that there has been an increase in Jamaican and Mexican workers being employed in Canada.
It was also pointed out that while opportunities have arisen in areas such as ginseng, greenhouses and vegetables, there is no evidence to suggest that Barbadian workers have been able to take advantage of the expanded opportunities.
Meanwhile, in terms of the TFWP, after a four-year break from 2014 to 2017 due to high unemployment in Canada, 52 Barbadian workers found employment at hotels in Canada in 2018 and 2019. Barbados’ participation in this programme is still low, noted the report, which also indicated that in 2019, a whopping 470,000 persons from various jurisdictions were involved in the programme.
“There is significant opportunity for employment in this programme. Increasing the number of workers in the programme in the coming years would require the Liaison Service Office to increase its efforts to recruit prospective employees. The Liaison Service Office needs to implement new strategies to reach potential employers and this should include use of the electronic media. It also needs to broaden the base of recruitment areas,” the Audit Office stated.
Regarding the Liaison Office in Miami, it was disclosed that $1.91 million was incurred for running that office during the review period, which sought to recruit Barbadians for the H2B programme for non-skilled workers. The office did not attempt to place persons under any other programme, the report indicated.
“...During the last six years, 2014 to 2020, no workers were employed through the Liaison Service Office in the USA. This is in spite of various efforts made by the Office to jump-start the programme. It should however be noted that the Liaison Officer indicated that there were several workers employed in the H2B programme who joined through agencies other than the Liaison Service Office,” said the report.
The Auditor General concluded that based on the review, it could be deduced that the Liaison Service Office has not been effective in providing work for Barbadian workers in the US, given that no employment was provided for Barbadians under any of the available programmes and employment projections were not met. Contending that the programme has not been a success, it has been recommended that it be reviewed.