Regional youth unemployment concerns St. Kitts PM

Harris said the rate of youth unemployment is alarming
Harris said the rate of youth unemployment is alarming

Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris, has said the high percentage of unemployed young people in the region is alarming and provides the recipe for a number of challenges.

Dr. Harris was in Dominica recently for the 62nd OECS Authority meeting and spoke to Dominica News Online.

“We have as much as 40 percent of the young people who are unemployed in some countries within the region,” he stated. “That is an alarming high number of people who are not anchored to jobs, to productive activity and that provide the recipe for a lot of challenges. Challenges for people to get involved in illicit and illegal activities…”

According to him, the formal economy by and large has not grown adequately in the region to provide opportunities for people, “either to develop their own jobs or to become employees.”

“And so we have to look at the sectors, whether it is tourism, agriculture…,” Dr. Harris explained. “What sort of incentives we can give for more people to be able to do? Do we have enough, for example, resources, loans, funds… an easy basis for the young entrepreneur who wants to engage in a particular activity.”

Dr Harris added that sometimes people have ideas “but you have to move from the ideas to the financing of the ideas and that is where there is a shortfall.”

He mentioned further that the traditional financing mechanisms of commercial banks have not allowed for the rapid growth of the entrepreneurial class and so that has created its own problems for the development agenda.

“The indication of whether people will go into government services or into the private sector establishing their own business and contribute to employment and development through those strategic particular areas of engagement,” he said.

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12 Comments

  1. fionna
    July 16, 2016

    Prime MinisterTimothy Harris is not Skerrit don’t get it confused

  2. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    November 26, 2015

    Harris it is one thing to talk about a problem; finding a resolve is another. All of you so called Caribbean Prime Ministers, you simply run your mouths off talking anything which comes into your minds to appease your supporters and impress people through your photo-oops!

    My question to you is; what is your best resolve? St. Kitts has also jumped on the bandwagon selling your nation passport. The sale of your national Passport is not an industry! With the exception of Trinidad & Tobago, along with Barbados, none of you small boys are capable of inducing foreign investments, and industries into your country; Skerrit is the worst of the bunch!

    Colgate-Palmolive products are sold in St. Kitts right? Ask Skerrit why is the company pulling out of Dominica. Ask him why anything which gets started in Dominica never gets completed i. e., the Moroccan Hotel (Guest House) which Ian Douglas said the Arab Spring caused it not to be completed.

    Tourism is seasonal, and serves its…

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      November 26, 2015

      Tourism is seasonal, and serves its purpose, nevertheless, no manufacturing, and exporting industry in a country breaths, (hatched) unemployment. Skerrit has been selling Dominica passport for more than fifteen years, it took the tropical storm Erika to cause Dominicans to realized the country is bankrupt! Dominica treasury is empty. Skerrit quoted ninety ($90,000,000.00) million dollars to aid in the reconstruction of some portion the country; however, Dominica does not have that kind of money. Here we are talking about a government; there are individuals who count that meager amount of money petty cash!

      You people are preoccupied with the politics. While you are on the outside looking in, you have the answers for everything; however when you get the opportunity perform, you grab unto your monthly pay cheque, and can\’t produce the most common of anything to save your own life\’s.

      Talk is cheap, performance is something else create industries, to employ the youths, and…

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        November 26, 2015

        Talk is cheap, performance is something else create industries, to employ the youths, and unemployment, and poverty will be eradicated in Dominica!

  3. LifeandDeath
    November 25, 2015

    Although I think the Gov’t in any country has to set the tone for development I don’t want to throw all blame at their feet..I think the Education System need to start getting ppl in the frame of mind to create jobs rather than to look for Jobs..I think we have been stuck in that mode of education for too long and so the Private sector hasn’t expanded rapidly enough to create jobs proportionate to school leavers/job seekers..All is not lost though..The Banks need to start designing programs to get Capital available to young people in order for them to get into business..Change our mindset

    • fionna
      July 16, 2016

      i strongly agree the job culture needs to be changed

  4. %
    November 24, 2015

    This gentleman honourable Timothy Harris continues to impress me.Dominica is a classic example where the leadership of the country has failed the youth….It is refreshing to know that so many thing which characterise Dominica was said at this OECS Authority meeting in Dominica.This has exposed even more many of the weaknesses of Skerrit, the must inept and clueless leader in the world,!

    • The Real Facts
      November 24, 2015

      Some of you blame the government. One day you will pay for it. You refuse to see the bigger picture which is the youths themselves.
      The PM is not their daddy. The youths must help themselves. What have they done for themselves and to remain in school and graduate so that they might obtain employment? You must ask them what have they done for themselves.

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        November 26, 2015

        There you are talking nonsense again: people will pay for what?

        Skerrit is not anybody father, except for his children born in the United States. Why don\’t you say Skerrit will pay for damaging the country to a point where there is no progress in the country!

        Why don\’t you say Skerrit will one day pay for causing every successful business, or what could be successful to leave Dominica.

        Why can\’t you inform Skerrit the Red Clinic where he gives people handouts, instead of creating the atmosphere, which may cause investors to go to Dominica to invest rather than he personally running around the world playing salesman, peddling passports like a drug dealer!

        He recently said he hope to sell thirty million dollars worth of passports this year, how much of that will go into his pocket, into the rest of his cabalists, how much will your family in Dominica will benefit, and how much of that will you get for supporting him with his crap!

        Examine your conscience Facts!

  5. d-a born
    November 24, 2015

    Can’t have jobs if there aren’t that many different fields to work in. Plus the available fields are limited.

  6. Real possie
    November 24, 2015

    LOL. But is that not what the government of Dominica did? You all laughed and cried it down. All what the man is saying is what was done here, we are our own downfall. Only when outside people speak we listen, and people wonder why we stayed behind all these years.

  7. too late
    November 24, 2015

    what has roosvelt done to create employment? all they have done is pass around with handouts, tablets, free bus ride, alleged abuse and alleged request for sexual favours in exchange for scholarships

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