Come June 5, approximately 10,000 Jamaicans will be recruited to work on cruise ships overseas. The announcement was made by Jamaica’s outspoken Minister of Tourism H.E.Edmund Bartlett.
Bartlett, who was speaking at a function at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James last week, said the massive recruitment drive comes at a time when the cruise sector and tourism, by extension, are showing signs of growth and is a telling indicator that Jamaican workers are viewed positively on the global stage.
Jamaica is now competing with other countries like the Philippines in making cruising more taste of Jamaica. The minister summarized
“This is a very big deal. We are talking about chefs, bellboys, room attendants… seafarers in general… just about in any department.”
The hiring process will be handled by the operators of the cruise lines, and Jamaicans only need to have a clean police record and a clean bill of health.
Bartlett explained: “Our workers have distinguished themselves in every department imaginable, and the cruise owners have taken notice. The best is yet to come because as soon as the cruise sector opens up more, you will see more of our people being recruited,”
Jamaica continues to be the first-choice country as it relates to hiring workers, adding that “our work ethic and iconic stature are well known and will always give us that preferential edge anywhere in this region”.
