Head of Labor Strengthens Ministry to Confront Global Economic Crisis

Dominican Labor Minister, Doctor Max Puig, announced the installation of 16 new territorial employment offices to be opened throughout the country as well as the undertaking of several Dominican labor market studies. These moves form part of the institutional strengthening process announced by President Fernández in his speech to the nation on February 27. The proposal came out of the “Summit for National Unity to Confront the World Economic Crisis.”

“We think that with these offices we can make a true revolution with respect to the decentralization of employment policies…”

The territorial employment offices will be operations centers for gathering information and for mediation and job orientation that will seek to coordinate efforts with different areas in the job and labor market. They will be located in the Municipalities of Santo Domingo East, North and West as well as Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega, Puerto Plata and San Francisco de Macorís.

There will also be offices in Higuey, Bávaro, Azua, La Romana, San Cristóbal, Valverde, San Juan and Barahona. “Along those same lines, we will install four job kiosks in the municipalities of Las Terrenas, San Pedro de Macorís, Monte Plata and Bonao.”

Max Puig released this information at the inauguration of the V Meeting of Labor Directors of Central America and the Dominican Republic being held in Santo Domingo. This year’s meeting is focusing on the employment situation in the face of the economic reality facing the countries in the region.

Puig pledged that this service will design and carry out plans and political action policies that will serve the needs and characteristics of each of the locales where they’re being set up.

“We think that with these offices we can make a true revolution with respect to the decentralization of employment policies with the active participation of the organized sectors of the communities and local authorities,” he said.

Along these same lines, the Labor Minister reported on the various labor market studies that have been carried out and which include analysis of the fabric of the business establishment (2006-2007); a diagnostic of the employment situation in the Province of Santiago and a plan of action to confront the problem of unemployment in this province. These studies were carried out under the auspices of the Dominican Labor Observatory (OMLAD in Spanish).

Other studies to be carried out include those linked to the migratory labor flow, wage dynamics and getting young people into the workplace. These are based on retrospective surveys such as a study about the need to train municipal workers in Samaná and Dajabón, done with support from UNICEF and other institutions.

Intensification of programs directed at increasing youth employment, such as Juventud y Empleo (Youth & Jobs) forms part of the efforts underway to help young people confront the crisis. It is estimated that this year, some 15,000 young people will benefit from professional training and will be looking to join the workforce.

“Also forming part of the Labor Ministry’s (SET in Spanish) plans for this year is the creation of emergency temporary employment programs and projects to avert massive lay-offs in exchange for subsidies linked to training programs and reconversion,” said the Minister of Labor.

SET’s action plan is being carried out with support from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) through the Occupational Training and Labor Insertion Project (FOIL), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and other cooperation agencies.