President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association, JMEA, John Mahfood says its unfortunate that the government raised the minimum wage by 44% in one move.

During his contribution to the budget debate last Thursday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the national minimum wage will move from 9-thousand to 13-thousand dollars for a 40-hour workweek.

The 4-thousand dollar increase will take effect on June 1, 2023.

The JMEA president is urging the government to invest more in social welfare programmes.

John Mahfood, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association speaking last evening on Nationwide @5.