Leacock calls on youth to get off the block and find work

DURING A RECENT meeting between government and several members of the private sector, business people repeatedly mentioned a shortage of workers, particularly in the construction and agriculture fields. Minister of National Security, Disaster Management and Immigration, St. Clair Leacock, spoke about the issue on Wednesday, January 29, during NBC Radio’s Morning Cup program, noting that while employers are seeking workers, many able-bodied individuals remain unemployed for various reasons, including preferring to “sit on the block”.

“You can’t have one set of people saying that ‘I need’ and the other people saying ‘I want’.You have to bring ‘I need’ and ‘I want’ together and I am looking forward, as I’ve said on the campaign trail many times before, when I’m driving through my constituency, if I see a group of young men on the block, I’m going to ask you pointedly, ‘why are you not working?’ and if you tell me…you can’t get a job as a labourer, I’ll tell you ‘well you could go here’, mason, you can go there, agriculture, you can go elsewhere, train.

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