Working Paper Series: Special Edition of 2016 to 2018 Interns

4.5 The Major Issues in the Labour Market in Saint Lucia The above analysis of the labour statistics in Saint Lucia brings to fore the following issues facing the labour market in Saint Lucia: i. High and persistent rates of unemployment; ii. High youth unemployment; iii. High unemployment amongst women; iv. High unemployment among lower educated groups and; v. Structural shifts in the economy and a mismatch between the skills sought vis-à-vis the skills available. Government Intervention in the Labour Market There have been a number of active labour market initiatives 64 , over the last ten years, targeting both the supply and demand side of the labour market. In 2015, there were eight such programmes being funded by the government and being instituted by various government agencies. Three of the programmes guaranteed direct employment for participants (STEP, NICE, YAEP) while five of the programmes provided training with the hope of enhancing the marketability of the trainees. Table 1 below shows the estimated number of beneficiaries per programme alongside government expenditure on the programmes. The figures suggest that the majority of the active labour market programmes (ALMPs) are costly and unsustainable in addressing unemployment over the medium and long term. 5.0

64 See appendix item 1 for a full descriptive list of the initiatives

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