“Creating Jobs For Everyone But Bermudians”
“Continuing Bermudian job losses under the OBA confirms what we in the PLP have believed for some time; the OBA’s trickle down, employ everyone but Bermudians approach simply does not work,” Shadow Tourism and Economic Development Minister Jamahl Simmons said.
Bermuda Job Market Employment Briefs
Mr Simmons comments follow after the release of the Bermuda Job Market Employment Briefs, which showed that for the seventh consecutive year, Bermuda’s job market reported job losses with total filled positions falling by 156 [or 0.5%] in 2015.
The report [PDF] said, “For the seventh consecutive year, Bermuda’s job market reported job losses. There were 33,475 jobs counted in 2014 compared with 33,319 in 2015.
“The number of Bermudian job holders fell from 23,833 in 2014 to 23,576 in 2015, a loss of 257 jobs. The number of jobs held by other non-Bermudians [excludes non-Bermudian spouses of Bermudians and Permanent Resident Certificate [PRC] Holders] increased by 105 between 2014 and 2015.”
Jamahl Simmons’ Comments
Mr Simmons said, “”Continuing Bermudian job losses under the OBA confirms what we in the PLP have believed for some time; the OBA’s trickle down, employ everyone but Bermudians approach simply does not work.
“It simply unacceptable that everyone but Bermudians are seeing an uptick in job numbers and reinforces the growing belief that the average Bermudian simply isn’t a priority for the OBA.
“The PLP has put forward several proposals that would change the direction of our country, put Bermudians first and promote business and job creation.
“From diversifying our economy, investing in the training and retraining of Bermudians, implementing tax reform so that Bermuda’s working class can take home more pay, to immigration reform that would protect Bermudian jobs; the PLP has time and again called for a fairer more just Bermuda that works for Bermudians.
“Those calls have been ignored and rejected by an OBA. That would be fine if they were bringing forward new ideas to take our country in a new and better direction. Unfortunately, they are either unwilling or unable to come up with ideas that benefit the average Bermudian.
“Their record of creating jobs for everyone but Bermudians speaks for itself.”
This dude makes a living off the taxpayers.
At least he’s getting paid to speak up for Bermudians compared to those other Dreamers who are getting paid for giving our Island to Canada !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Fairplay do you care to respond to the meat of the issue at hand?
Yes he does, and like many others must change asap…He has been in every political party and is bad news all roll
(The except of the O.B.A.)
Yes he does, and like many others must change asap…He has been in every political party and is bad news all round
(The except of the O.B.A.)
Until he found out he was just another Surrogate.
“From diversifying our economy, investing in the training and retraining of Bermudians, implementing tax reform so that Bermuda’s working class can take home more pay, to immigration reform that would protect Bermudian jobs; the PLP has time and again called for a fairer more just Bermuda that works for Bermudians.
The working class (BIU) have seen fewer job losses than the middle class private sector. In fact the current civil service remains largely unchanged, yet we know it is the most significant financial and economic burden on the Government being able to pay off debt and invest in social services/education. SO! Why is it that the PLP harp on about job losses yet the fewest job losses have occurred to the working class, yet they are calling for more money for BIU workers! Really, tell that to the real taxpayers who sacrifice hard earned $$ to pay for these people to have cushy comfortable jobs in the civil service.
Seems people can’t stomach the truth.
Just for clarification. From the Employment Brief: “Across the economy, the public administration sector reported the largest decline in filled jobs with a loss of 227 jobs.”
Blah blah blah.
Don’t you get sick of bashing immigrants? You call yourself a “Labour Party” but you’re really just right-wing ultra-nationalists.
Nail on head…PLP are heavily right wing, but pretending to be a labour party.
Can we take away his job? what a numpty
Name calling is so childish.
GROW UP or SHUT UP!
numpty
He would just join another party.
This is the kind of asinine nonsense that makes this guy and the PLP look like real amateurs.
Does he really have little understanding of what he reads that he draws this conclusion?
What kind of a bunch of amateurs are they. What do we have to do to get an opposition that can debate things sensibly.
Why do some believe it is Government’s responsibility to train them for employment? What happened to personal responsibility and bettering one’s self?
And as noted before the job losses aren’t real losses as they are primarily (90%+) due to the early retirement of civil servants.
In PLP’s last year of governing they oversaw the loss of 2,000 jobs in ONE year. So did the PLP’s anti-trickle down approach work?
The economy is growing and the job losses have just about stopped altogether. The graphs over the time period show exactly that. You can’t stop a long-standing economic trend that took years to create in less than half that time.
Bob Richards already stated that they he is going to restructure tax payments so the lower paid will won’t see deductions.
Also, I suggest reading the PLP’s 2025 Vision plan. In their diversification efforts they stated that they recognize that any new industry will require AT LEAST 50% foreigners (at least being the operative word).
To attract all these new industries the PLP will have to offer very attractive incentives to lure them away from less expensive domiciles from which they now operate.
Incentives will be in the form of tax concessions.
But hold on hasn’t the PLP and their supporters railed against such tax breaks and foreign workers?
I’m confused. Is it revolutionary and forward-thinking when the PLP does it and an attack on the ‘working man’ when the OBA does it?
2025 Vision Plan….. you mean the one they say put us back in power not just for the NEXT election…. but ALSO for the one after, and HOPE they deliver… so basically criticize the current government on just under ONE term …. but promise in the next TWO terms we can fix things (that they broke)…. We would be fishing and farming for survival BEFORE 2025….
Are we really that STUPID…..
SMH…
@ Tolerate,
Hear Hear, and yes I do believe we will be that stupid by putting these jokers back in in 2017. Of course then the 2025 plan will quickly become the 2045/2050/2055 etc plan. Sighs
Wasn’t it was their parties hair brained policies that helped chase away employment?. (rhetorical question of course). On top of that, employment is created by the private sector so why doesn’t Mr. Simmons and other PLP MP’s put their money where their mouth is and open business’ and help create the employment that they continually bleat about? Yeah right!
It appears that hey’d rather become backdoor partners by way of hidden trusts were they are guaranteed profits while you do the hard work yet they reap the greater benefits from it, cowards!
Complete gibberish.
Diversify economy – specifics?
Investing and training in Bermudians – good but where’s the money come from?
Tax reform – interesting but if taxes are cut, where does that revenue shortfall get made up? By your magical diversification?
Immigration reform – already in place, needs to be enforced better which means those employed Bermudians in government need to DO THEIR JOB!
We remember how the PLP operates – free buses, free schooling, free daycare… how did that work out?
Ha ha, I see the Alaska Hall clown brigade finally crawled out of bed to dislike all of the anti-PLP comments.
Your party doesn’t plan on making progress until 2025 Jamahl. Remember?
We need more foreign residents, not fewer. The conditions that spur this and subsequently result from it will be good for our unemployed.
You don’t have to ‘like’ it. But it’s our hard truth and it doesn’t matter who the government is.
bermuda is to small to be a mixing pot ,get out
You PLPers and your desire to emulate Trump and all other xenophobic, racist right-wing nationalists will be the death of this island.
Maybe that’s what you want. That is to be the King of the Ashes.
Either way congratulations on gradually becoming what you profess to hate and abhor.
lol. ‘get out’ international business and tourism are the only things that keep this island alive. both of which completely rely on foreigners.
Tell your great-grand parents that. Or were you endemic to the island?
This message will resonate with PLP supporters and probably many swing voters. The loss of Bermudian jobs, while expat job rise, is something that will lose the OBA the next election
Does anyone honestly believe that there would be more jobs today if the PLP had one the last election? We would all be having a completely different conversation and it the job losses would be significantly higher
You mean just like we honestly thought there would be less debt under this OBA Gov’t…yea I feel you on that.
What a detailed plan sir!!
* From diversifying our economy – What does that mean exactly? nice broad terms
* investing in the training and retraining of Bermudians – To do what?
* implementing tax reform so that Bermuda’s working class can take home more pay – Yes, less tax is the answer for a government who is broke due to your 14 year boondoggle
* to immigration reform that would protect Bermudian jobs – Again, the plan is?
* the PLP has time and again called for a fairer more just Bermuda that works for Bermudians – Snoooooooore
When did you land on Bermuda, last week? Sounds like you’ve been converted already. Do some research and you would find information already out there regarding diversifying the economy, investing and training locals etc. Sounds like you’ve just hopped on the OBA bandwagon.
Once again the PLP talking heads are choosing to ignore the facts . Large numbers of the expats in question are employed in jobs that locals will not do . Sure , Bermudians CAN be landscapers , kitchen porters etc , but they WONT . Whose fault is it that businesses have to import foreign labour ?
readers and bloggers can attack the messenger, but they really cannot attack the message. Here we are 4 years into OBA government and Bermudian jobs are continuing to spiral downwards, yet we are seeing increases in non-Bermudian jobs. Jamahl Simmons didn’t make these stats up. They are real.
Then where is their plans to change those negative stats….WITH CONCRETE PLANS AND EXAMPLES OF HOW. I’ll wait…………
@ Jus’ Wonderin’
Exactly, I know you wont be holding your breath waiting for those answers lol.
He may not have made up the stats, but that doesn’t mean he is reading them right. Unless you read the full stats and what they are, where they relate to and how we as population have set ourselves up as employment wise, then just looking at the number of Bermdians and foreigners hired, doesn’t actually tell you the truth.
It took a PLP government 14 yrs to destroy our economy and you expect the present government to rebuild it
in 14yrs.
Are you dumb?
you sir are blind…..
you sir do not acknowledge that Bermuda is in the global marketplace, a place where employers hire those that are most economical to employ in today’s business market; a place where it is PROFITABLE to do so and makes better business sense (you can argue morality elsewhere) to operate with lower salary outflow than higher which is associated with local hires.
it is also clear that you have little to no knowledge of the current service industry (skilled and unskilled/advanced and basic)
employers have a responsibility to themselves and shareholders to keep costs down and if history repeats itself, be reminded that during the PLP administrations – work permits were higher than now and you can attribute that to economic prowess followed by economic overheating followed by the pressure pot exploding and the economy failing on a global sense.
look within for an example and ask your fellow PLP MP/Supporter business owners to stand up if they have 100% Bermudian employees, the type of business and why they do or don’t have Bermudians working for them.
as quoted on the internet – paraphrased here:
“We don’ have an immigrant worker problem; we have a moral issue (in the majority) regarding business owners who hire those that they can underpay to increase their profits – in some cases to barely stay in operation and make a living whilst in others just being greedy.”
These same people are taken advantage of in the (accepted industry standard) by working longer hours with no family responsibility except to send the money home!
Not ALL businesses operate with this in mind but if my only motivation is money and the opportunity presents itself to me to work more, whether i am the employer or the employed, i will take it in more cases than not making me (the employed) more viable option for the employer.
Hey Jahmahl, did youu hear Pat Gordan Pamplins response to SSM? That is a good mind,great citizen and true leadership. (Forget about the subject as that may make you uncomfortable and just listen to the ethics and resolve) learn from her and K.Wilson and most of the other woman in both parties. Some are brighter than others but either way they speak out loud only when they have something real to say or add. You and a Roban speak…just because you like to use your words.We need more woman in politics
you see what i see – a puppet/talking head and yes – it may make one uncomfortable LOL
This country can not exist without the influx of foreigners and their foreign currency.
And it cannot exist without the Bermudian people.. And if your idea is to open the flood gates with no regard for Bermudians then you are the type we don’t want here. This is not your business park, it’s a country/Island that as EVERY other country in the world must do, ensure the local populace can make it here and are FIRST! If you have an issue with this then I’d pay for your cab to L.F. Wade. Not one statement here speaks to the statistics shown or any ideas that will increase Bermudian employment, which tells me 80% of you posting are not Bermudian, Paper Bermudian or just don’t give a crap about the Bermudian, but yet want us to love you…
mixitup, as a matter of fact the statement made by Mr. Simmons fails to speak to any of the statistics, as he appears unable to correctly interpret them. I would be very careful how you classify whether someone is Bermudian or not, because your system of classification is not only ignorant, but it implies that who you say are Bermudians are blindly following the statement of Mr. Simmons without taking care to carefully consider his argument and the statistics he (incorrectly) uses to back it up. And I believe that is not giving Bermudians enough credit.
Furthermore, the saying ‘paper Bermudian’ is incredibly nationalist and honestly quite disgusting and I would strongly advise anyone from using or believing in such disparaging verbiage. Making a distinction between who is a ‘real’ Bermudian and who is not will only serve to further divide this country and prevent much-needed progress; additionally, this distinction is based on often very superficial factors which indicate nothing about how much the person in question has contributed to Bermuda.
I am Bermudian and black and see day in and day out that your theory holds little water.
Bermuda is a business park unfortunately
Wake up and smell the roses. We have no self sustainable renewable industry that is self sufficient so yes we are a business park.
The reality of it all is that the jobs that will be created to the benefit of a black majority will not be filled by black Bermudians. It isn’t possible without the effect of businesses failing due to increased Labour costs.
As my other comment said – we don’t have an immigrant expat problem. We have a moral issue with employers hiring low paid foreigners and not always for greedy intentions
different day, different year, different decade.
We are just all sooo original!!!
Don’t y’all get tired of spewing the same false truths and hypocrisy.
ZERO CREATIVE MODERN THINKING.
Sorry…
Have a blessed day!
Gotta love how Jamahl plays the numbers.
“The number of Bermudian job holders fell from 23,833 in 2014 to 23,576 in 2015, a loss of 257 jobs. The number of jobs held by other non-Bermudians [excludes non-Bermudian spouses of Bermudians and Permanent Resident Certificate [PRC] Holders] increased by 105 between 2014 and 2015.”
NOW- Lets include Bermudians, Spouses, and PRC’s (since they all classify as Bermudians) as they are not migrant workers:
Bda, SOB, PRC
2014- 26,321 Jobs
2015- 26,590 Jobs
An increase of 264 jobs
Other Non-Bermudians
2014- 6,885 Jobs
2015- 6,990 Jobs
An increase of 105 jobs
The % of Bda, SOB, PRC job holders has held steady at about 80% for the past 5 years..
Have you factored in the total working population into your equation?
The NO NO NO solution PLP at it again
The Horseshoe Bay beach concession recently opened has hired over 60 BERMUDIANS we have no one on a work permit . The jobs are out there don’t give up.
thanks rick
Hmm , I wonder , does that constitute a chunk out of the 2000 jobs thing that certain people keep harping on about ?
If not , why ?
you used to say the same about RED what a mess that turned out to be, could be an Asian restaurant now you got the staff ?
Mr Simmons and the PLP do not understand a basic fact of economic life. Jobs are not created by government (although it has the power to destroy them as the history of the PLP in government clearly shows) but by entrepreneurs who invest in Bermuda. Government can create conditions which attracts investors – the PLP, ably assisted by their union paymasters, showed great talent at creating conditions which repelled investors. A major reason for the jobs mess we are in right now. I repeat government does not create jobs; it never has and it never will. It welcomes investors, or in the PLP case kisses them goodbye.
I think the PLP created a large number of jobs and we have the swollen civil service to prove it……and will be paying for it for a long time…..Mr Simmons, and others like him, are merely talking heads for his failed Government…..
This bie has no idea about how anythings works!!
More drivel from a political opportunist?
Micro is really saying this Island can not survive with the rich and powerful the world is in the mess it is in because of the rich and powerful. From the Wall Strett meltdown to the economic oppression/discrimination against people of African descent whether they are in Bermuda or overseas.
Look up the Bilderberg group who set the policies worldwide and their puppet governments implement their policies. They are the secret government behind the governments of the USA and Europe who enforce their agenda around the rest of the world. And Bermudian “leaders” who are really followers who follow the money and whatever everyone else is doing. This is all part of the New World Order.