Employers will be able to opt out of an online jobs database designed to “add transparency” to the work permit process and give out-of-work Caymanians a better chance in the job market.
The National Workforce Development Agency last week launched its “online jobs interface,” saying it would allow immigration officials to check which Caymanians had been referred for positions and the reasons their applications had been refused before officials granted work permits to non-Caymanians.
Officials said they believed the system would provide a more efficient method of ensuring businesses comply with the requirement to interview and hire qualified Caymanians before looking overseas to fill vacancies.
However, they have acknowledged that there is currently no mechanism for forcing employers to post jobs on the database, so those who wish to circumvent immigration regulations could simply opt out.
There is also no mechanism through the website for job seekers to add positions they have applied for, outside of the agency’s database.
“Currently there is no legislation that mandates businesses to utilize the services of the NWDA. We are creating a system that will be effective for those job seekers and employers who choose to utilize the services of the NWDA,” said Tasha Ebanks Garcia, deputy chief officer in the Ministry of Employment.
She acknowledged, “If a job seeker applies for a job outside of the NWDA job portal, there is no mechanism for ensuring that Immigration and its boards are aware that the application has been submitted or the outcome of the application.”
She said she hopes employers would see the website as a valuable service and make use of it.
“The approach right now is to create something that is useful to businesses, and we are inviting feedback as it develops,” Ms. Ebanks Garcia said. “It gives the work permit process transparency for jobs registered with the NWDA and applications that are referred through the NWDA.”
If an employer decides to apply for a work permit, Immigration officials will be able to check the website and see everyone who was referred by the National Workforce Development Agency or anyone who self-referred, along with the employer’s explanation of why a person was not suitable. They will also see the agency’s explanation of why the person was referred in the first place.
Currently, when employers are applying for a work permit, they are required to proactively declare which Caymanians applied for a job.
That “trust system” is still the basis of the process for job applications and permit applications that are handled outside of the National Workforce Development Agency’s system – for example, by advertising in the newspaper.
One benefit of the online jobs database, says Ms. Ebanks Garcia, will be to make communication easier between immigration officers, the ministry and employers.
She said it would provide an efficient way for employers to communicate efforts to hire a suitable Caymanian and an effective way for the workforce development agency to provide information to the Immigration Department to allow informed decisions to be made.
Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce’s careers expo last week, Employment Minister Tara Rivers hailed the jobs database as a major achievement for the government.
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