THE Ministry of Labour (MoL) on Friday during a ceremony held in the boardroom at its Brickdam office, launched its online “National Job Bank” which will be a virtual space that connects job-seekers and employers.

Job-seekers can post their credentials and employers can post vacancies, using the facility, which can be accessed at www.jobs.gov.gy. Both the job-seekers and employers will be required to register and create accounts before using the services of the job bank.

In his remarks, subject minister Joseph Hamilton noted that last year President Dr Irfaan Ali gave him the charge to create the job bank as a means of keeping up with the massive job creation currently ongoing across the country.

“Some time last year the President was in Linden having a meeting with some young people, and the conversation of job and placement came up and the President indicated to those young people that the MoL will initiate a platform to help them to navigate the issue of employment and placement and to find employment across the length and breadth of this country,” he said.

The job bank will be managed through the Ministry’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), which will also be working along with the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), which is the department in the ministry that is responsible for training.

“The BIT and CRMA are twins here because they have to work together and collaborate. It’s not just the training, but about finding the medium to ensure that people can find a job. That is why this job bank is important to us and to the nation as it develops,” Minister Hamilton explained.

Also present at the launch ceremony were MoL Permanent Secretary, Bishram Kuppen; Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer (ag), Yolanda Grant; Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Dhaneshwar Deonarine, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BIT, Richard Maughn.

Giving an overview of the project, Kuppen related that the design of the job bank took into consideration the needs of employers and job-seekers and was structured to allow for synergistic interactions between them without the intervention of any third party.

“Job seekers and employers can interact with each other in an easy-to-follow process through this important government initiative. It is important to note that there are no fees or cost associated with using the services of the job bank because it is fully funded by the government and will serve to supplement the government’s job-creation initiatives,” Kuppen noted.

According to Kuppen, the development of the job bank took into consideration accessibility and customisation to allow job-seekers and employers in all 10 regions, including various villages and communities within those regions, to take advantage of the countrywide services provided by the job bank

The job bank will be accessible from any location where internet service is available. The MoL is also currently working on the creation of an app that will be used alongside the online platform.

“Employers will now have this valuable cost-free resource to list their vacancies to find suitable candidates to fill their vacant positions. Job-seekers can now also have a cost-free resource to browse the job bank database to review jobs, in the sectors and locations they want to be in,” Kuppen related.

The CRMA will be providing customer support for the job bank.
During her remarks, Grant said the creation of the job bank was “opportune and timely,” which aligns with the agency’s goal of not only catering for a boom in employment, but also to provide opportunities whereby everyone will reap benefits.

“There is great anticipation and expectation that this national job bank will revolutionise the modus operandi of linking job-seekers. With the expanding labour opportunities, job-seekers will be able to access jobs that match their skillsets, competencies and career choices, concomitant with the expressed needs of the employers in their respective entities,” she noted.

During the launch there was a demonstration of how the website is expected to function.