‘My only hope’

“This is my only hope,” said a 20-year-old prospective cruise worker from Clarendon as tears streamed down her face at a recruitment exercise yesterday.

She told The Gleaner that she left her Race Track home at 4 a.m. to journey to the HEART College of Beauty Services in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, using money borrowed from her mother’s friend to pay for transportation.

The applicant was among hundreds who turned up yesterday hoping to land one of 10,000 cruise ship jobs, following the recent announcement by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett that employment opportunities with several cruise lines would soon become available.

As the industry begins to rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, major cruise lines have embarked on a global-recruitment drive for workers, with Jamaica being among recruitment spots at the top of their list.

The pandemic triggered massive lay-offs in the cruise industry as early as 2020, when the pandemic was declared, leaving tens of thousands of seafarers stranded on the high seas as several countries closed their borders to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Several Jamaicans were among those who faced uncertainty for days in a frightful panic to get home.

With the revival of the industry as cruises set sail again and leisure travel picks up globally, tourism is on the rebound, leaving many local hotels also facing a struggle to re-enlist or recruit new staff as many former workers turn to the business process outsourcing sector and other industries.

Still, many Jamaicans have complained about a struggle finding jobs.

“I don’t see another way out right now. My mom needs the help, and I need the help to further my education. We are struggling at the moment,” the young woman said, disclosing that her diabetic mother does not have a stable income.

She has completed an undergraduate degree in environmental studies at a community college, and aside from summer jobs in the past, she has been unsuccessful at gaining employment even though she has ramped up her efforts since January.

“Mi really hope it work out for me,” she said before bursting into tears again.

Twenty-five-year-old Sabrina, who hails from St Thomas, is a HEART/NSTA Trust graduate with certification in administrative assistance and food and beverage services, Levels Two and Three, respectively.

“I am really hoping that I secure one of the jobs. It would be a game-changer for my life,” she told The Gleaner after submitting her application.

She underscored that the huge turnout was evidence that there are not enough jobs with reasonable remuneration in Jamaica.

“The money a lot of Jamaicans are earning from their jobs is only enough to take them back to work. Sometimes we have to stand up on our feet for hours. We don’t have any form of insurance or benefits. When we get poor circulation and arthritis, the pay that we get can’t help us,” Sabrina lamented.

Self-employed 20-year-old Mandeville resident Dwayne Williams, who holds a diploma in electrical installation (Level 3), explained that obtaining a job with a cruise line would provide him with a steady income.

“For cruise ship companies to come and offer this type of employment, it is a good opportunity for young people. There are a lot of persons here who want jobs, and Jamaica does not have a lot of jobs for persons leaving high school or university,” Williams said.

A 52-year-old with over two decades of experience in the cruise shipping industry was among the applicants at the recruitment drive.

The St Mary native told The Gleaner that he knew he wanted to work in the industry from as early as 10 years old and did so from 1995 to 2015.

“The exchange rate makes a difference. No matter how you try, what you earn in Jamaica can’t make ends meet, worse if you are a family man,” he said, adding that that was the main reason he kept going.

With the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been working two or three days per week, earning between $20,000 to $25,000.

“Getting back a cruise ship job right now would be a big blessing,” he said.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica reported that in January, the island’s unemployment stood at 6.2 per cent. The number of people classified as being outside the labour force – neither employed nor unemployed – stood at 755,600 in January.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com