The Unemployment Insurance Scheme is to be submitted to Cabinet for approval, shortly, says Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda.
Addressing the Ministry’s Labour Relations Awards Banquet recently, the Minister said the scheme is a priority area for the Government as part of efforts to strengthen the national legislative framework for labour market resilience.
Unemployment Insurance aims to protect employed persons against the risk of job loss, and it facilitates access to partial income during spells of unemployment.
The feasibility study on unemployment insurance was undertaken by the International Labour Organisation and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), with input from several government ministries and stakeholders.
The first two phases of the feasibility study have been completed as a precursor to implementation, with the third and final phase now under way.
Unemployment Insurance would complete Jamaica’s social protection floor, as it is the only missing element as articulated in the Jamaica Social Protection Strategy of 2014.
