The region is set to benefit from a major effort by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat to establish a labour market information system (LMIS) as a vital element of the smooth functioning of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). As part of this effort, the Secretariat is undertaking a series of LMIS training workshops in Member States. The first one gets underway in Trinidad and Tobago from Monday, October 3 and lasts 4 days at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim of these sessions is to train stakeholders how to use LMIS in the development of policy and planning. This training initiative is being facilitated under the 10th European Development Fund CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) Economic Integration Programme. 

Approximately 30 representatives from Departments of Statistics, Finance, Planning, Health, Education, Social Security, Trade Unions, Employer Organisations are expected to participate. They will be trained in areas such as how to identify sources of labour market information, classification of labour statistics, labour market modelling, survey analysis and policy implications. At the end of the exercise, participants are expected to understand how to use labour market information in policy-making and its importance in the process. This training should also strengthen the management capability of these stakeholders who play an integral role in the free movement of skills and labour regime of the CSME.

This training will be rolled out in all the other member states, except The Bahamas, in the coming months. There is another phase of this LMIS training initiative that involves system and data administrators who will be carrying out the day-to-day operation of the system. They will be given the requisite knowledge and skills to do this and their training will also be conducted over the following months.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is hosting a one-day regional consultation on the establishment of a regional tripartite social dialogue mechanism and a regional social protection floor. It takes place on Monday, September 19 at the Secretariat’s headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana. The aim is to discuss a proposed social dialogue mechanism and social protection for the region in order to provide recommendations to the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD).