The rapid and significant fall in the unemployment rate over the last ten years, to historic lows, without corresponding economic growth, has spurred questions about whether the newly created jobs are good quality jobs which can contribute meaningfully to the economy. There is a need to better understand this phenomenon of “growthless jobs” to inform any effort to rectify this concerning divergence. This report posits evidence-informed recommendations for relevant policymakers regarding what is impeding Jamaica’s economic growth, and how those impediments might be mitigated.

Employer-provided care support for workers with care obligations could be one solution to Jamaica’s productivity and labour market challenges. In Jamaica, however, there is no provision of public services or infrastructure to support unpaid care and domestic work obligations. Internationally, the data supports the proposition that both employees and employers’ benefit when employers provide support for their workers’ care obligations. Where those gains result in increased output and productivity, the broader economy also stands to benefit.

Unpaid domestic and care work consists of activities necessary for producing goods and services to sustain daily life and to ensure social reproduction for the future. Throughout the world, women are the primary providers of unpaid domestic and care work, and its provision is still viewed by many people as the natural duty of women. Jamaica follows the general global trend in the differences in the amount of time that women versus men spend in unpaid domestic and care work and in paid work, where women participate and spend more time in unpaid work while men participate and spend more time in paid work.
This report looks at the types of unpaid care and domestic work, who is carrying them out, and quantifies, monetizes, and costs this work, as a percentage of GDP

Education is arguably the most important factor in attaining national economic development. In any country, higher education is both a fundamental requirement in achieving a highly skilled labour force as well as an aspiration of many young people for their own personal development and social mobility. No country can achieve sustainable development without substantial investment in human capital. Despite this knowledge, inadequate and inequitable access to tertiary education remains a major developmental challenge in Jamaica. This report assesses the funding sources currently available for tertiary education in Jamaica and compares different tertiary education financing models.