Minister Campbell: Bermuda experiencing a ‘major shift’ in the labour market
HAMILTON, BERMUDA — Bermuda’s government is having a hard time keeping up with competition when it comes to recruitment as the labour market undergoes a “major shift”.
This is according to Minister of Tourism and the Cabinet Office Vance Campbell, who said that in response, the government will seek to offer more competitive salaries, benefits and training initiatives so that it can better keep up.
The government is having a hard time competing in the current labour market.
The minister made the revelation during debate on the 2023/2024 budget.
Delivering his budget presentation, Minister Campbell said, “The public will know that as the largest single employer in Bermuda, with 4,483 persons employed as of December 31, 2022, the government offers diverse career opportunities.
“Like employers everywhere, however, the government is experiencing a major shift in the job market, driven by a lack of skilled resources locally and globally in specific employment categories — for example, qualified accountants and engineers.
“Other factors include competition across industries and the salaries and benefits differential.”
The minister admitted that “in many cases, the government cannot compete for certain employment categories” amid the intense struggle for adequate talent.
However, he pledged, “As the minister responsible for managing the government's human resources, I can attest that we remain committed to training officers and making salaries more competitive.”
Govt. to start with evaluating jobs in Bermuda
Ahead of the effort to ensure public sector jobs can keep up with the stiff competition for labour, Campbell said it will undertake an evaluation of jobs in Bermuda and begin mapping out succession plans.
The government will start with modernizing its system for evaluating the labour market.
He said this initiative will also include modernizing the previous job evaluation systems that were in place.
“There are a number of job evaluation tools available, inclusive of options to customize one to meet the unique needs of the government,” Campbell noted.
“We are in the process of reviewing those options and will determine the best way forward during the next fiscal year.”
Some $180,000 of the budget has been allocated to this exercise, and the new system will be expanded to “consider internal and external factors such as availability of talent, both locally and globally, and make allowances for pay scales to be adjusted commensurate with expertise.”
Campbell continued, “Also, it is expected that the Department of Employee and Organizational Development will complete a Public Service Talent Management Strategy and work with department heads to implement succession plans for posts deemed critical and hard to fill.”
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