By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EARLY responses to the National Productivity Council Stakeholder Survey show Bahamians hold varying views on how the country’s productivity should be measured, with employability and GDP per capita emerging as the two leading indicators so far.

The survey, launched Tuesday, has already drawn nearly 300 responses — about 60 percent from the public sector — and will remain open until December 12, 2025. It features roughly 30 questions exploring wage-productivity relationships, technology, national output measures such as GDP per capita and unemployment, and the role of training and development in career advancement.

National Productivity Task Force (NPTF) chair Edison Sumner said the survey is already producing valuable insight as part of a wider effort to guide legislative and policy reform. Data analysis will begin in December, with preliminary results expected by late January.

“We have had some diverse opinions, one of which was that it should be measured by the level of employability and the rate of employment in the country, and the second highest to date would have been measurement based on the GDP per capita in the country,” Mr Sumner said. “Those have been so far, the two major determinants of the measurement of our productivity outputs, labour and employment rates at the rate of employment and employability, and the GDP in the country.”

He said respondents also pointed to leadership, work environment, and wages as major influences. “Some think it has to do with the leadership of the organisation. There have been already some diverse responses on what individuals in these organisations think productivity looks like and what impacts the level of productivity.”

The survey targets a broad cross-section of Bahamians, from students and civil servants to professionals, retirees, and academics across every island. Its findings will feed into the creation of the Bahamas Productivity, Innovation and Competitiveness Council (BPICC), a statutory body intended to boost efficiency, innovation, and collaboration across sectors.

Mr Sumner said the task force has completed its work plan, secured office space, hired staff, and submitted a first draft of the BPICC legislation to the government for feedback before public consultation. A final draft is expected by March 2026.

Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said improving productivity is essential to the country’s future competitiveness. She said the government’s goal is not to make people work harder or longer, but to address skills gaps and modernise workplace culture.

“Now, when I speak about increasing productivity, I don't mean just working harder or working longer, but we see productivity as a multi-dimensional issue,” she said. “For example, when young people enter the workforce, some of them lack basic soft skills. We often take those soft skills for granted, and they include punctuality, teamwork, something that we also call emotional intelligence and maintaining a positive attitude.”

She said the government is using the opportunity to target training for young people to help them develop the habits and attitudes needed to thrive in the modern workplace.

The NPTF includes Deputy Chair Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, National Trade Union Congress of The Bahamas representative Jewel Fountain, Bahamas National Trade Union Congress president Darrin Woods, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce executives Dr Leo Rolle and Peter Goudie, BTVI chairman Kevin Basden, and Deputy Director of Labour Patrenda Russell-Brice.

The task force’s work aligns with the International Labour Organisation’s Decent Work Agenda, which promotes fair conditions, productive employment, and social protection through innovation and inclusivity in the labour market.

Mr Sumner said the council’s creation marks a major step toward building a culture of accountability and performance. The goal, he said, is to give policymakers hard data to guide reforms that help Bahamian workers and businesses operate at their best.