Jamaica must lead, not linger, on CARICOM free movement
Published:Monday | October 13, 2025 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Damion Gordon is right that values, structures, ideology, and execution matter for any deepening of regional integration ( The Gleaner, October 9). But his caution should not harden into paralysis.
The recent decision by Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St Vincent & the Grenadines to implement full-free movement is not a threat to Jamaica; it is an invitation – to shape the rules, protect national interests, and unlock opportunities Jamaicans already seize abroad, this time within a Caribbean home market.
Three points deserve emphasis.
1) Free movement narrows skills gaps, expands hiring pools for Jamaican firms, and creates real pathways for youth.
Regional residence rights reduce informality and exploitation, and portability of social benefits keeps contributions within regulated systems. These are wins for productivity and tax compliance, not giveaways.
2) The risks are manageable – if we do the work.
Brain drain: The remedy is not higher walls, but smarter retention, bonded scholarships, career ladders in the public service, and housing/transport incentives for scarce skills. Jamaica can also import shortages (nurses, STEM teachers, trades) on transparent terms while it trains more of its own.
Fiscal pressure: Prioritise emergency and primary care, and compulsory school access for children (a basic human and regional obligation), then sequence other entitlements based on residency, employment, and contribution records.
Xenophobia: Government must lead a public education campaign grounded in data: how many entrants, from where, in what jobs, paying what taxes. Sunshine disarms fear.
Execution capacity: Jamaica already runs the CSME skills regime, JAMDEX/GOJ digital services, and e-ID is advancing. Add a single interoperable work-residency permit, mutual recognition of qualifications, labour market impact assessments each quarter, and real-time border/migration dashboards published to the public.
3) Haiti is a test of our regional conscience, not a veto.
No one proposes opening a door without hinges. CARICOM can adopt a Haiti Transitional Protocol – humanitarian visas, sponsored employment with vetting, and phased integration tied to security benchmarks – so that inclusion is principled and orderly. Excluding Haiti permanently would betray both our history and CARICOM’s purpose.
Join the Enhanced Cooperation arrangement on a pilot basis for 24–36 months with: (i) clear entry/benefit phases, (ii) skills shortage lists updated semi-annually, (iii) social-contribution portability, (iv) safeguards against abuse, and (v) a public scorecard to Parliament every six months. If targets are missed, recalibrate; if met, deepen.
Regionalism is not naïve idealism; it is risk-managed opportunity. Let us meet the moment with competence and confidence, not postpone it because perfection is hard.
DUDLEY MCLEAN II