‘Employability’, not unemployment, called Cayman’s problem

Well done Mr. Anglin
I feel the problems arose when the government placed their own citizens in an educational ghetto. When the government decreed that expatriates could not avail themselves of the education system on the Island it was a mistake.
Like it or not, expatriates expect a higher standard of education from their schools.
If the government had integrated all of the people living on the Island who knows………..

But my concern is, will a National Workforce Development Advisory Council have any teeth when they have a candidate who is trained or educated, and yet some employer from the private sector, has something in for Caymanians and uses the Immigration system to bring in their people… I have seen it happen over and over again. The Department of Employment Relations (Labor Board) seem to be powerfuless and apparently many have complained… too often influenced by some in the private sector! Don’t know how true that is, but we can’t just have hundreds of kids graduating each year, going through colleage and not being able to find a job here at home.

This is great news, hopefully it actually happens and if it does people will need to take it upon themselves to make sure they take advantage of programs such as this. In addition to this there is also plenty of internet based training in just about every field for folks to take advantage of but the existence of training and education is only part of the solution, it will require dedicated folks to participate in order for it to succeed and foster change. I truly believe that Caymanians have developed a bad reputation of being slackers and lazy which most likely causes a lot of businesses to prefer foreign workers over them. It’s up to Caymanian citizens as well as the government to change this image. All Caymanians should make it their business to prove them wrong and show companies that Caymanians can be valuable assets to them and they will soon start to tap the wealth of local resources that exist here.

Well said Mr. Anglin
@isitjustme I agree, additionally, the protection board did not help, rather I think it created false expectations that the only requirement for employment was citizenship. Today, employability does not end with academic qualifications, it also requires networking, multicultural knowledge and attitude is still an absolute necessaity.

Isitjustme

Thanks for making such an honest observation…

Official segregation has been the real problem in the Cayman Islands for a very long time; probably dating back to the period of Cayman’s history that began shortly after Emancipation, sometime in the mid-1800s.

When laws and regulations were passed that seperated Cayman’s residents into ‘born-Caymanians’, ‘immigrants’ and ‘expatriates’, the seeds were sown for much of the educational, unemployment, social dysfunction and crime that Cayman is suffering today.

Make no mistake about it; officially there is a difference between ‘immigrants’ and ‘expatriates’ although this is never openly admitted.

Back in the 70s and 80s, ‘immigrants’ or ‘low-income’ newcomers to Cayman could not send their children to government schools, they were required to send them to the private schools that existed at the time.

The schools for ‘expatriates’ were always there; Triple C, Cayman Prep and later on St. Ignatius.

These private schools were for anyone who could afford to school their children there but scales of economy dictated that only a handful of ‘born-Caymanian’ and ‘immigrant’ children went to those schools, their parents simply could not afford it back then.

In the meantime,the Govt schools functioned under a system of ‘privilege’ for Caymanian children coming out of school; ‘when you’re out of school, you’re due a job in a major bank or financial institution simply because you’re Caymanian so no need to work too hard at grades and qualifying for university and all that stuff’.

Now that the wheel has tirned full-circle, we can clearly see who is more qualified to hold jobs in the Cayman Islands, the more educated children of ‘immigrants’ and ‘expatriates’; this is because their cultures fro outside Cayman have always emphasised education as the first priority.

But….

In Cayman, we still have an officially segregated immigration, education and social system, therefore the economic system must continue to be segregated as well.

Its a real challenge to change a sysytem that has been functioning almost 100 years now and in which the major political figures still materially benefit from at the expense of everyone else.

Whether deserved or not, Caymanians have a reputation for laziness and a sense of entitlement which harms their prospects in the labour market.

A business owner I was talking to recently said that although he is required by immigration to employ a certain number of Caymanians, he regards them as an overhead, and his company would be better off if he just paid them to sit at home rather than have them prejudice his business by turning up to work.

When the issue of civil service cuts came up a year ago a term I often heard was ‘only fifty thousand a year’.

That is $25 an hour in layman terms and
a lot more than a very large portion of the expat community makes.

That too is a sense of entitlement and creates unrealistic expectations.

The comments in this forum are most disgusting. I recognize that the UDP has apparently hired bloggers to post comments to support their misleading statements such as Mr. Rolston Anglins? i sense desperation!
There is something wrong with the comments its off balance. Is it because one editor is away?
Something is wrong.

Mr Rolston Anglin,

Your insulting statements that Caymanians are unemployable are unacceptable and simply not true and you should apologize.
Your government like many others have FAILED TO REGULATE these companies setting up businesses in the Cayman Islands. You have intercepted and tied the hands of the immigration Board, The Labor Board and all regulatory systems put in place to regulate these businesses to comply with laws already put on the books. Whereas as one commentator wrote you have removed the hiring policies that would protect the rights of Caymanians to acquire work even though educated and qualified have applied for jobs they are duly qualified for, they are always REFUSED!

What do you have to say about that Mr. Anglin?

The premier nor the cabinet has any right to make appointments or direct the Work Permit Board. It is a direct conflict of interest that does not favor the Caymanian people. The Work Permit Board belongs under the Governor’s office and should be managed strictly in the Civil Service under the Lieutenant Governor’s port folio. As it is right now there is a huge conflict of interest with the Premier and the cabinet having so much power over the work permit board . This was not intended even in the constitutional first draft recently amended in its original form. Again there were way too many hands involved in the input of the original draft of the constitution and it is almost not recognizable! Indeed the premier nor the cabinet were not granted this much power in the original and first draft for amendment. I blame the PPM as well for allowing so much chipping away of the rights of those that need protection in the constitution, at the same time the PPM is hoping to enjoy as much power now granted to the UDP!.

As it is right now the right of a Caymanian to work in his own native land is being VIOLATED! Unconstitutional!

I totally agree. It is a waste of everyone’s time if unsuitable candidates are put forward for jobs in areas they have no experience of. Or, worse still, the candidates have a bad work experience background and can only use the labor board to try and get them into another job. I’ve seen his happen, a Caymanian put forward for a job by the labor board,the employer checks out his past work history and is warned by former bosses not to employ them due to the person being a trouble maker and thief. Why is this person being helped, when there are far more deserving people? And why did the labor board not make these easy background checks beforehand? Or did they?
Like it or not the solution will come from improving educational standards in the Cayman Island. Foreign employers are allowed to do business here. They have worldwide experience of all types of workers, and their ethics. They are trying to play along and hire as many Caymanians as possible, but the Government can’t expect to lay down the law to these companies, who can easily up sticks and move somewhere else. Why should a profit desiring Company be forced into employment someone below their standard, when Cayman has accepted an ex-pat culture and all that entails. It’s a case of wanting your cake and eating it. Until Caymanians can stand up alongside the foreign workers in terms of skills, the choice isn’t that difficult for employers.
There are thousands fewer work permit holders on the island compares to a year ago. So everyone is feeling the pinch. I love Cayman and have every faith that these troubling times will pass. If good strong foundations are put in place for the younger generations, Cayman will reap the benefits in the future.

This story is absolutely right.

Some people want to ignore common sense. An employer, no matter who. Would rather save money than spend it.

No employer really wants to hire an expat if he can get the same quality of worker, with the same work ethic and the ability to do the job well, locally.
Period.

But the problem is, forcing labour into someone’s doorstep that is not qualified or doesnt’ give a damn about what they are doing. Drags the company down. In productivty, man hours and money. Also can damage the reputation of a company.

The only reason companies hire expats is due to thier experience and thier work ethic. Every expat realises that working on this island is a gift, and they treat thier jobs as such. Working thier posteriers off.

So the pickings must be very slim in the local market for actual people who can do the job. No, not "do" the basics and have others pull thier weight. That’s not "doing" the job. That’s called scraping by.
But actually being able to hold thier own weight.

So if Caymanians could really compete, by bringing a stronger working will and ability. There would be no need for a job database. There would be no need to force Caymanians into a work place. So, why is it, that they have all this? Because the majority fall into a certain catagory. The minority of Caymanains that do thier jobs, and do it as well as any expat. Are already in supervisor or elevated positions at their places of work. And aren’t worried about thier jobs. Becuase they can compete, here, there, or anywhere. End of story.

What the youth of cayman needs is a work ethic.
They need to swallow their pride and work from the bottom up and take any job that will pay the bills… it builds a sense of selfworth and pride.

When friends and family come from overseas to visit for the first time, they see that 99% of the restaurant staff are ex-pats. there are no Cayamanian waiters or bartenders and in most of the hotels the workers are almost always foreigners…

There is no issue with lack of jobs, there is an issue of which jobs the Caymanian will not do and the ones that they are not qualified for….

You can’t tell me that immigration is letting waiters and bartenders to come here to work because no caymanian is qualified for that work???

No sympathy from me…

There are professionals out of work in the US that would flip burgers to save their homes.

I’ve been delighted by recent statements from Mr Bush and Mr Anglin. Real statesmanship and honesty will help Cayman, and not before time!!
Perhaps a small example, however. Most Government Departments are well staffed with Caymanians who for the most part are helpful and polite.
However, in terms of doing their jobs, why is it near impossible to telephone and speak with a human being. Even the receptionists are on Voicemail, and very many extensions will not take messages because the Voicemail is, and remains, full at all times. It is rare to get a callback even when one does have the luck to leave a message!
Mr Anglin is right, some Caymanians do need to be better trained, and find a work ethic which covers a full working day.

An internationally recognised hotel hires ex-pats for one simple reason- skillset.
A chain store hires an overseas worker for a similar reason.
Schools, finance houses and tourism do likewise because there isnt the skillset within the country.
These companies ( all locally owned or with majority shareholders lets not forget) are here to provide a service due to demand.
In order to meet that demand and attempt to exceed customer expectations would employing a surly, teeth sucking, gramatically challenged, texting addicted, partially educated indiginous person who is resentful to start with, generated by an ever increasing sense of entitlement justify a paid position?

I think you all know the answer. Sadly its the people with potential that are held back due to simple asscociation.And potential there is- when we see it first hand it stands out because its a very pleasant surprise.
Ask yourself can our people meet and exceed the expectations of overseas guests, business and technology, education and governments. Listen to the news every night and our politicians struggle enunciating sentences in the correct gramatical fashion. Great example and we dont get a second chance to make a first impression. Education is key, understanding that hard work, effort and determination will create success and realising very early on in life that it wont be offered on a platter. Then we succeed.

It is really a pity that people who should be proud due to all the privileges handed down to them are now hiding behind those same privileges because it has been instilled in them that it is their due. Caymanians (young ones especially) wake up and start learning to hold your own, should the ex-pats and immigrants be wiped out simultaneously from this land, it is a shame to say that Cayman will crumble. There is nothing wrong with holding a cafe attendant position, or that of a waiter, kitchen helper or janitor for that matter. Why should a business owner be made to spend money placing ads to a people who have no interest in doing the job just cause they think it is beneath them? Even in cases where the wages offered is more than should be allotted?

Why must it be a whole heap of red tape to hire someone who is more than willing to work hard? Why has the prices for working permits gone up when the locals refuse to even acknowledge the jobs that are available to them? Cayman, when are we as the leaders of tomorrow going to start shaping our future? Hasn’t what is happening taught us anything? ‘The world was here 1st, it owes us nothing’ after all as they put it we are unemployable and they are right cause we all want the big jobs and have no skills for them. Nothing is being done in a hurry to fix that issue and truth be told nothing can be done in a hurry either. It is unfortunate that nothing was placed in the past to combat it should it have become an issue. It may have been in the old days that the big financial job would be there at the end of the school tenure, but that was then, this is now, being made to work for what we want and work hard is no crime.
Let us come together and say yes it is a fact that we lack the desired skills that employers look for when hiring their workforce, help make us into a desirable unit, it is time to stop focusing on the problem and start trying to come up with solutions which will benefit all those involved- the government, the employers, the ex-pats, the immigrants and born Caymanians. For example, a program that offers a UUCI student/grad (college or university) the opportunity to be hands on at a job that focuses on his or her skill set for 4 hours a week for a certain period of time. That would contribute to work experience and if it is a graduate, employers get the opportunity to not only hire someone with the required credentials but the ‘work know how’ too.
For every 2-3 immigrants or ex-parts hired, hire a Caymanian who shows interest in the job or skill set, that individual will have 2-3 mentors who can guide and mold them into a potential supervisor, assistant or even a mentor to a new employee. Heck hire those who want to work and are willing to do anything, is the economy to come to a hault just cause the world is to be promised to strictly Caymanians? Are they more human than immigrants or ex-parts? Help empower us so we can empower ourselves. The up-skills program is a good idea and a great place to start, but in the mean time, who will the business owner have to hire to get the job done and get it done right, when Caymanians turn their noses to jobs that they are qualified for?
It is time to start managing your resources more respectfully government of Cayman and i mean all of your resources, after all Cayman isn’t made up of Caymanians alone, in fact Caymanians have the lowest percentage of inhabitants in this country. Make this a win win situation for all your people. Think about your countries future, make the necessary changes so that the 14 and 15 year olds are aware that the days of old have passed and they need to up the anti. The world is competitive and Cayman isn’t the world it is simply a part of it, the rules apply here just as they do globally in that respect, it is time to reach out to all your people and give time the tools they need to make their mark on it, enough talk, now is the time to act and help raise a populous of forward thinkers.

The unemployment and unfair treatment of Caymanians in the workplace continues. The recent unfair redundancy(firing0 or Butterfield of 10 Caymanians and NOT EVEN ONE XPAT was fired! the 11 article clerks no law firm will embrace giving them a chance to pursue their legal careers. The order of things in order to protect Caymanians from such harsh abuse needs to be rearranged and regulated by or government.Mr. Rolston Anglin Minister for Labor and Education is in COMPLETE DENIAL of the real reasons behind unemployment amongst Caymanianians.

Here are the Historical facts:-
There are many many unqualified and uneducated X-pats here who are in positions working because THEIR FRIENDS PROMISED THEM THAT JOB,Not because they were qualified because they are NOT! when employers we call the colleges and businesses for references overseas on these people running to the Cayman Islands for a job a can of worms opens up! Its happened 4 times at a friend of mine’s Business in Cayman within 3 years!

Here’s a conversation call for a reference. It went like this:-

"She’s applying for a Secretary or Supervisor position at your law firm? she only finished 7th grade, was in rehab, been clean for a year, but she worked here for 3 years. Well good for her, She was a VERY GOOD COCKTAIL WAITRESS HERE AT OUR BAR ON SOUTH BEACH! I guess she deserves a chance. A-Da-Girl! I wish I could live on the beach too in a high rise and have the company pay for it. Boy did she strike out lucky!" Hey do you people in the Cayman Islands need a Bank Manager? I’ve been managing this bar for 10 years but I’d like to be a banker, they would never hire me here in the US or Canada you got to have real experience, no criminal record, and really check out" Oh thanks, I ‘ll start packing and I want a condo with ‘OCEAN VIEW!". Hey before you hang up I have a friend with measurements 25, 32, 25 the lawyers will like her. well she’s a maid, but can she get a job as a bank teller or a legal receptionist? Yes? good, thank you. We’ll be there on the next flight!

These are x-pats who are UNEMPLOYABLE! and not even educated! so the Cayman bashing pitch is no longer working. We are hip to it all!

We give unqualified people a chance and trash our own Caymanian people causing them to suffer, while government clap their hands in approval and continued abuse of work permits that are not necessary.