Holness eyes foreign labour for NaRRA

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has reiterated that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) may have to source some of the skills needed to rebuild western Jamaica from overseas amid a shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry.

Speaking at a National Housing Trust (NHT) ceremony at which 25 young Jamaicans were awarded scholarships under the agency’s Construction Scholarship Programme, Holness said it was time for the industry to expand its capacity to meet the country’s demands.

Each student is eligible for up to $1 million annually in tuition support.

Holness said there was “dissonance” between businesses’ calls for skilled labour and specific skill sets and the complaints of Jamaicans about a lack of job opportunities.

He said private firms and the NHT consistently report severe shortages of skilled construction workers and project managers, even as unemployed young people in rural and urban communities seek employment.

“The volume of projects that we will have will increase significantly, and we must ensure that the productive capacity of the industry keeps apace so that we can manage cost; we can maintain quality; and we can deliver more homes and infrastructure for every dollar invested,” said Holness.

“My understanding is that the construction industry has expanded far beyond the labour pool of skills that we have, and it is not just the private firms that complain. The NHT complains as well,” he noted.

The prime minister said NHT contractors report high staff turnover, with workers leaving construction sites after just a few days to take up jobs elsewhere, disrupting project schedules.

“I don’t think this is an area in which there ought to be a controversial debate. I think we can settle on the fact that we don’t have enough skills now, and we certainly will not have enough skills in the future when the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority actually starts doing infrastructure work,” Holness asserted.

He said the Government was taking steps to address the shortage of skills in the construction and engineering sectors to strengthen the country’s productive capacity.

He added that, beyond masons, electricians and tilers, Jamaica urgently needs project management expertise and practical leadership to turn capital budgets into completed structures.

Holness pointed out that, of an annual $80-billion capital budget, only about $40 billion is often converted into physical infrastructure, with capacity constraints resulting in unspent funds and stifling national growth and development.

The scholarship recipients were urged by the prime minister not only to seek employment, but also to establish their own contracting firms, capable of executing projects quickly, while maintaining high quality and competitive pricing.

“We need a new generation in the construction industry that will match the budget that the Government has to spend. I can list project after project that is being delayed, not coming on on time, and a lot of it just comes down to management,” he said.

“Jamaica has the best planners. They can tell you everything technical, and oftentimes it comes down to why it can’t be done. We have the brightest people with the brightest ideas. They will give you volumes of papers, but you tell them to get it done ... that is what we lack in our society ... ,” Holness said.

He called for an end to “small-minded thinking” about the scale of infrastructure projects and challenged the cultural assumption that slower work necessarily produces better quality.

Instead, he advocated faster project delivery to help address Jamaica’s long-term housing deficit, estimated at 150,000 housing solutions, compared with the 110,000 to 120,000 built by the NHT over its 50-year history.

“What it is about now, is about getting it done, delivering it, turning capital budget into concrete; and that is where we have fallen short as a country,” said Holness.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com