By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Some 60 percent of Bahamian companies view the country’s workforce as “globally uncompetitive”, with a labour specialist affirming yesterday: “Everyone admits we have a challenge.”

Peter Goudie, the National Tripartite Council’s vice-chairman, said the latest data on workforce “skills gaps” had “opened the dialogue” and brought together public and private sector stakeholders seeking to alter trends that have endured for decades.

He spoke out after the latest survey results, unveiled at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute (BTVI) in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Nassau Sunrise, confirmed that there has been little improvement when it comes to employers finding an adequate supply of trained workers with the skills they desire.

The survey, which received 155 responses from Bahamian companies, found that more than 40 percent of respondents were unable to “consistently recruit local employees that meet our needs”.

And another 65 percent of Bahamian businesses said finding workers equipped with the necessary literacy and numeracy skills was “a significant challenge in hiring”. Respondents said “under-qualified” applicants were the main challenge they faced when trying to recruit, with a lack of soft and technical skills, plus the absence of relevant experience, also posing a major problem.

And only just over 10 percent of respondents viewed The Bahamas’ workforce training initiatives as a success, highlighting the disconnect between the Government’s efforts and the private sector’s needs.

Still, almost 59 percent of companies responding to the survey said they were able to retain employees who met their needs.

Mr Goudie, who was part of a panel discussion on the findings, said he felt “positive” that efforts were being made to tackle The Bahamas’ workforce inadequacies and skills gaps even though he acknowledged the task is a daunting one.

“We know we have a challenge and everybody admits that,” he told Tribune Business. “Nothing was surprising. We need to move forward, but at least we had everybody there saying: ‘Let’s do this’.

“We needed to open the dialogue and that’s what we did today. It was very beneficial and we really got to hear some of the strides we are making, especially in the maritime. I think the main takeaway was we’re all striving to do the right thing and work with BTVI, the Ministry of Education and University of The Bahamas to make progress in our employment industry.”