Employment Services

Three officials from the Ministry of Labor, Technological Development and Environment of Suriname traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to learn about its public employment service, the National Employment Service (NES). Reducing unemployment is a high priority for the government of Suriname, and this activity was designed to provide concrete support for the Ministry’s efforts in that area.
 
The delegation visited the NES in Port of Spain, where it observed the online job registration system in action and an employment counseling conversation between an NES clerk and a jobseeker. It also participated in the “World of Work” seminar in San Fernando, which is a monthly event held at every NES office that is intended to prepare jobseekers for the labor market by training them on making career choices, writing cover letters and resumes, and preparing for a job interview. In addition to the NES, the delegation took note of the Commonwealth Caribbean Seasonal Agriculture Programme with Canada and the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency.
 
The Surinamese delegation stated that its expectations were fulfilled: it learned about the activities and policies that make an NES successful, the features of the online job registration database, and the challenges encountered when serving employers and jobseekers. The delegation also noted the similarities between the two countries regarding jobseekers and employers, the effectiveness of an online registration system for making more efficient matches between labor demand and supply and reducing staff workload, the usefulness of seminars and the importance of having NES offices within reach of those who need them.
 
The next steps for Suriname include upgrading its automated database in order to give clients access to data they can use to find a job, training jobseekers to be proactive in finding a job and organizing training sessions for jobseekers based on the model of the “World of Work” seminar, to be held on a regular basis.