THE Ministry of Labour (MoL) is currently in the process of finalising a virtual “National Job Bank”, which is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2022, to connect job seekers and employers.

The platform, which will be available online, will be a place where job-seekers can post their credentials and employers can post vacancies. This platform will allow potential employees and employers to interact.

This was disclosed by Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, during his contribution to the 2022 budget debate, which began on Monday in the National Assembly.

The job bank will be catered for under the ministry’s $1.1 billion budgetary allocation for 2022 and will fall under the ministry’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA).

“The initiative is a great one. We’re about completing the platform and just have some other things to add. We’re seeking to have it collaborate with the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). Hopefully, by the next two weeks it should be launched. We have looked at it already and reviewed it, and we are just adding a few aspects before it is presented out there,” Hamilton told the Guyana Chronicle following his presentation.

He said: “It will be an online platform since the idea is to move away from this paper-based system. One of the most important things about it is to give access to persons in every region. Right now, because of how the system is, you have to come to present your credentials to the ministry.”

It is the mandate of the CRMA to match suitably qualified persons to existing vacancies, canvass for job vacancies to place job-seekers, maintain vacancy records, provide advice, career guidance and counselling, as well as capacity-building for jobseekers.

After registering 1,171 persons with the agency in 2021, 4, 000 is the target for registration in 2022 and placement of at least 3,000 in jobs.
Of the persons who sought jobs last year, 731 were submitted for possible employment placement, while 186 were successfully placed in jobs. The others are awaiting interviews.

A total of 1,554 visits were also conducted by the CRMA to solicit vacancies for persons seeking employment.