A young unemployed Caymanian mother of four took her quest to find a job to the clock tower Wednesday morning.
Karissa Cameron, 24, from George Town, said she had tried every avenue to get a job and was now turning to public demonstration to draw attention to her plight.
Holding a large sign that read “Young Caymanian mother of four in need of work. A cry 4 help” as she stood below the clock tower during morning rush hour, Ms Cameron said she had tried to get many different types of jobs, but to no avail.
“I have been trying to get a job. I’ve had doors closed in my face. I have been to my MLAs.
“I am not saying I’m looking for a particular job. I’ve gone to many places. Some jobs I’ve been overqualified for, others I’ve been under qualified for, but I’m not seeing any results,” she said.
As she was being interviewed by the Caymanian Compass, a representative from the Department of Employment Relations approached Ms Cameron, saying the minister for employment, Rolston Anglin, wished to speak with her and took her to meet him.
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With all the money that this government is throwing away why is there not an internet database with unemployed peoples names and qualifications so employers could see who is available?
@ itisjustme –
Even if you have a database of the names of unemployed individual, not everyone is going to be employed.
What our government needs to do is create more jobs by making it easier for locals to start and maintain their own companies or businesses. The government can start by reducing its size and establishing public-private partnerships so that it can lower its fees, licenses, permits, and import duties it so often needs to sustain itself. Government has made themselves too large and too much spending. Hence, locals are suffering and unemployment is on the rise.
Also, they can start by legislating stronger and enforceable laws and regulations in the private sector ensuring that foreign companies don’t come here without giving something back to the community, such as, hiring Caymanians as a percentage of their staff, or contributing something to the Education Department to train and educate the young or uneducated.
It seems to me that government is failing to deliver on such things, because it is caught up with paying off a deficit more than creating a free and competitive market where jobs by the numbers can be made.
Peace
I’m curious to hear the outcome of Karissa’s meeting with Mr. Anglin. I’m sure she can answer the phone or work as a Hotel clerk, give out information as a conscierge or work in the Department of Environment for Government, whatever her qualifications may becase may be if she is skilled as a Secretary or typist, or even if she is unskilled SHE DESERVES A JOB IN HER OWN COUNTRY!
WHAT DID MR. ANGLIN DO FOR MS. CAMERON?. Or was he so embarassed as she was standing under the Town Clock located near the L.A. ! was the meeting called for just to take embarassment and accountability off himself as a leader of this country or did he call her TO GIVE HER A JOB? Someone who knows her please respond after contacting her please.
So far he’s made a speech talking down Caymanians that they are not qualified. Shooting a lot of BULL!
AND THIS THE GOVERNMENT WE HIRED TO LOOK OUT FOR THE CAYMANIAN PEOPLE!
God help us!
There is definite LACK OF REPRESENTATION for the people of the Cayman Islands.
They are now ‘THIRD WORLD" led by a government that di is a SHAM.
The people no more are important to them. only the almighty dollar even if it means raping the bank accounts of our children’s college fund!
Can we let them get away with this!
We need to FOCUS ON GETTING THE UDP OUT OF OFFICE BEFORE 2013 WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO WAIT. AS IT LOOKS THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO WAIT EITHER TO FINISH THE DAMAGE INTENDED FOR THIS ISLAND AND ITS PEOPLE!
Where is the father? Is there any child support? What kind of work is she looking for? And what are her qualifications? Has she turned down any jobs?
I see people are missing the underlying problem here: An unemployed mother of 4. Without sounding unsympathetic or heartless but at 24 most people are warpping up their university education and preparing for motherhood/work. We have our priorities all backwards in this country.
When she says "I am not saying I’m looking for a particular job" what does this mean? Does it mean that she is just going to employers and asking for them to hire her? Or does it mean that she will take "any job offered"? Please, Compass, more details on this so that people can make a better judgement on her situation and how to help out.
Oh yes,
This government together with its Labor Board Chief, the Chief of the Work Permit Board, and immigration Board have obviously FAILED THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY MERCILESSLY!
While Ms. Karissa Cameron a mother of 4 is standing out there in the hot sun begging for a job, the CAYMAN WORK PERMIT BOARD is allowing businesses to
– REFUSE HER A JOB
– LIE TO THE IMMIGRATION BOARD ABOUT NO QUALIFIED CAYMANIANS APPLYING
– LIE ON THEIR WORK PERMIT APPLICATIONS FOR FOREIGN LABOR
– LIE ON THEIR ADS – YES THEY GET AWAY WITH FALSE ADVERTISING AND MISREPRESENTATION!
– GOVERNMENT AND THESE LYING BUSINESSES OWNERS
CONTINUE TO "PARTNER UP" IN DENYING PEOPLE LIKE KARISSA CAMERON EMPLOYMENT IN HER OWN COUNTRY WHERE SHE WAS BORN!
-A PARTNERSHIP THAT SUPPLIES WORK PERMITS FOR FOREIGN LABOR IN EXCHANGE FOR HIGH FEES! While our people starve and BEG!
THIS IS A DOWN RIGHT DISGRACE AND SOMEONE DESERVES TO BE LYNCHED!
TODAY!
Jobs are not an entitlement. You work hard, make yourself indispensable to your employer. When you are hungry you work to eat and support your family. The job does not demean the man.
Instead of blaming everyone under the sun for her predicament, why don’t we all just put our heads together and make some suggestions that might be helpful for her and her children.
Surely there must be some retailer that can use a little extra help for the Christmas shopping season.
Or how about one of the busy restaurants needing someone to help out during high tourist times.
Even part-time till she gets her bearings.
I am curious, why would any business pay such huge fees to hire foreign workers if they could actually find workers with the skills they need locally in Cayman. Seems the government levying higher fees for Work Permits would actually cause businesses to look harder for local workers. This is something that benefits Caymanians.
I’m sure companies would be willing to hire local workers if they possessed the skill they need, it would save them a truckload of money. I am not trying to put anyone down but young Caymanians as well as young people everywhere really need to make it a personal goal and take it upon themselves to gain the skills it takes to make it in today’s Job Marketplace. No one is going to just give you a job, you have to do what takes to go out and get that Job.
As for Miss Cameron I hate to say but being a mother of four young children it would really to be hard to even find time to go outside the home and work, I’m sure raising the little ones is more than a full time job in itself, especially is dads not around. Where would the kids be while she is away at work, Daycare can really break a budget.
Having multiple children as loving and innocent as they are, can really hold you back when it comes to things like education and work. Please young people make wise decisions and think of the implications and responsibilities before you chose to bring children in this world.