More than 600 jobs are currently available on the Virgin Islands’ Labour Management System (LMS), with officials urging Belongers to register and take advantage of the opportunities.
Workforce Development Manager at the Department of Labour and Workforce Development, Roxanne DeWint-Toussaint, told attendees at a recent job fair in the Third District that her unit monitors postings on the system once they expire.
“I want to let all of you who are here today know that the labour management system, which is the system that has been created to automate all of our labour processes, currently has 555 jobs. Am I correct, Leo? It’s 603. So I looked at it yesterday and today it has on 603,” DeWint-Toussaint stated.
She explained that the law gives Virgin Islanders first preference when filling vacancies. “My unit basically operates off of Section 117 of the Virgin Islands Labour Code. If a Virgin Islander is qualified, then they’re to be given first preference. We also look at Section 2A of the Virgin Islands, which states that employment opportunities are supposed to be fair and balanced and ensure that Virgin Islanders take preference,” she explained.
Acting Labour Commissioner Mervin Hastings stressed that registration on the LMS is now mandatory for residents, whether employed or not. He noted that a new dashboard was recently added for labour disputes.
“If you’re employed in the Virgin Islands and you want to make a dispute, whether or not you’re an employer or an employee, the only way now that you can make a dispute to the Labour Department is to log on with your password and go in and make a dispute to this department,” Hastings said.
Hastings added that Virgin Islanders risk missing out if they do not engage with the system.
“We have 603 jobs available in the Virgin Islands right now in the labour management system. We’re finding that it seems like everyone else throughout the world is registering and applying for jobs. But Virgin Islanders… are not applying,” he explained.
“I don’t want you blaming the Labour Department when we approve a work permit because you, as Virgin Islanders, are not applying for these jobs,” Hastings warned.
The Labour Management System was launched earlier this year to digitise the work permit process and improve transparency in recruitment. The platform was introduced to replace manual applications and provide real-time access to job listings. Officials have said the system is designed to ensure Belongers and residents are prioritised for employment in line with the Labour Code.
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