by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) recently concluded a series of community town hall meetings, a proactive approach to engage citizens and foster transparency in governance.
These forums, which included a session on July 13, 2025, at the Red Cross building in St. Paul’s parish, are designed to address public concerns and share updates on key government projects.
Amidst discussions on national development, a pressing issue concerning the island’s workforce was brought to the fore.
Disconnect Between Job Vacancies and Employment
During the July 13 town hall, Hon. Spencer Brand, Minister of Labour in the NIA, painted a striking picture of the employment landscape on Nevis.
While numerous job opportunities exist, a significant challenge lies in connecting available workers with these vacancies.
Minister Brand revealed concerning statistics from a recent investigation.
“One hundred and seven businesses were looking for people to work. Keep that figure in mind. Two hundred twenty persons were referred to those 107 businesses. Only 75 persons were employed. Now, as the Minister of Labour, that is scary and that is frightening.”
He indicated that preliminary findings suggest a lack of seriousness among some individuals regarding employment. This sentiment highlights a significant disconnect, despite the government’s efforts to foster an environment conducive to job creation.
Minister Brand urged the public to seize these opportunities.
“Social Security numbers keep trending in the right direction… where employment is available.”
He further emphasised the competitive minimum wage in St. Kitts and Nevis, which he anticipates will be adjusted upwards soon, suggesting that “you can make a substantial living from gainful employment.”
The Ministry of Labour’s mission is to monitor and regulate employer-employee relationships, promoting industrial peace and ensuring job security.
This observation echoes earlier statements made by the Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley, who highlighted a unique economic phenomenon on the island at a prior town hall event.
The Premier cited independent data from the Social Security Board, which indicates that Nevis is in an “interesting position” where “we have more jobs than workers.”
Premier Brantley questioned how these vacancies are being filled.
“Nevis is in a unique position when we look at the statistics provided by Social Security. These are not government statistics because Social Security, as we know, is an independent body. And social security keeps telling Nevis that we have more jobs than workers. Let me say that again. Social security keeps telling Nevis we have more jobs than workers. That is a rather interesting position to be in. Because that gap between the number of jobs and the number of available workers sometimes is as high as three or four hundred. And so I have asked Social Security, well, how are these jobs being filled? And the answer that they have given is that they are being filled because some people are choosing to do two or three jobs.”
Indeed, the Social Security Board’s reports indicate an upward trend in the average number of jobs and employed persons on Nevis in the post-pandemic era, a direct outcome of the government’s incentive policies.
Incentives for Investment and Construction
Beyond addressing the workforce dilemma, Premier Brantley used the platform to advocate for further investment and construction on the island.
“The truth is that there is no better time to build than right now on the island of Nevis. We have a full package of concessions that is on offer. For those who are here wanting to build. For those who are overseas in our diaspora who want to build something here. We have duty-free concessions. We have VAT-free access. We have a number of concessions. We have a returning national policy for those coming in. But we also have concessions for those who are here. In fact, the concession used to be only for first-time homeowners. We have changed that. We have now even extended concessions to you if you have a home already, but you are expanding your home. So there could be no excuse in terms of building. This is a good time for people to build. If you are thinking of building. You want some assistance. Please go in and see the good people at the Ministry of Finance. And they will guide you through the process.”
These policies are part of a broader strategy to foster economic growth and attract investment, with a dedicated unit under the Ministry of Finance serving as a “one-stop shop” for individuals wishing to return and invest.
As the island moves forward, addressing the critical issue of workforce availability will be key to fully realising its economic potential.
