MONTEGO BAY, St James — The junior minister for labour and social security, Donovan Williams is convinced that Jamaica will see further declines in the unemployment rate as the country continues to recover from the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated south- and north-western sections of the island last October.
Williams made the projection in an interview with the
Jamaica Observer on the sidelines of an employment and health fair held in Montego Bay on Monday, while sharing his outlook on the continued rebound in key sectors including tourism.
“It will make our unemployment statistics look even better because we are roughly around three-point-something per cent. We are doing well — and this augurs well for us — and we can only get better,” he stated.
“There is that demand for additional workers and, of course, there are new hotels on the horizon so it is looking good for persons interested in working in that area,” he said.
Jamaica’s unemployment rate is currently trending at around 3.7 per cent, up slightly from 3.6 per cent in January 2026 and 3.3 per cent in April 2025, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin).
However, with reports indicating that the majority of hotels will be back in operation for the start of the winter tourist season, there is optimism that job creation will receive a further boost.
State minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Donovan Williams (right) and mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon attending Monday’s job and health fair in Montego Bay, St James.
“Organisations, companies are recovering, and some have recovered from Melissa. Jamaica is attracting a lot of investment and so it will provide more opportunities for our people,” Williams said.
While highlighting the importance of key sectors such as tourism, Williams also noted that other industries are contributing to the country’s recovery and creating opportunities for employment.
“We do have a diversity of organisations here today... and it is, in my view, very encouraging for the parish of St James,” Williams said.
He also praised the organisations responsible for staging the fair, which is expected to help place a number of individuals in jobs as businesses resume operations.
“The collaboration is excellent between the labour ministry, the SDC (Social Development Commission), the municipality — all the employers that are here. This is very encouraging, and I am very optimistic that many of the persons who are here today will find employment, meaningful employment,” said Williams.
Hundreds of people turned out at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on Monday to participate in the fair which offered employment opportunities at a range of public and private sector organisations.
Job seekers make their way through the various booths at the job fair in Montego Bay on Monday.
The fair, which continues into Tuesday, was organised by Montego Bay mayor, Councillor Richard Vernon, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the local arm of the Social Development Commission (SDC), the National Health Fund, HEART/NSTA Trust, as well as the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Vernon pointed to the benefit of the job fair, adding that it was conceptualised within the context of recovery.
“We noted that many of our hotels, and I must say at this point in time that Montego Bay is known as [the] resort city and as a result we depend on hospitality, which accounts for about 60 per cent of our local economic activities,” he stated.
“Since Hurricane Melissa we lost thousands of jobs due to hotels closing and hospitality operations disrupted. And as a result, we decided that during this recovery phase, once these businesses are getting back to normalcy or some semblance of robust recovery, then we position ourselves so that we can get our people out and employed — and that is what we are doing now,” he said.
The Ministry of Tourism has indicated that more than 11,000 rooms are expected to return to Jamaica’s tourism room stock between late 2026 and early 2027 as part of the country’s ongoing recovery following Hurricane Melissa.
“We note that 90 per cent of our hotels will be reopening at the end of October, and leading into the early 2027 we will have many of our hotels up and running in terms of the ones out of commission,” he said.
