September 18, 2019
St. Thomas, USVI- Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory, Chair of the Education and Workforce Development Committee, is urging the VI Division of Personnel to hold a government-wide Job Fair by October to employ job seekers. The senator strongly recommends the Job Fair be inclusive and consider those who were formerly incarcerated who have completed their sentences and disabled members of our community.
The senator said that, based on testimony from agency leaders in budget hearings held in the past few months, there are hundreds of VI government positions that remain vacant. In some cases, these vacancies have remained unfilled for years.
“Matching qualified individuals with jobs that need to be filled is a win-win for the territory,” Sen. Frett-Gregory said. “Our government functions best and our community thrives when unemployment numbers are low.”
With less people contributing, hundreds of government vacancies result in lower cash flow to GERS, which is currently a billion-dollar problem. Even further, fewer contributors also translates to higher medical insurance rates for members of the government health insurance plan. Hundreds of unfilled positions hurt not only job seekers, but all Virgin Islanders.
Sen. Frett-Gregory has pledged to listen to the voice of the people. In doing so, she has heard from employable people who are sending their resumes off-island because they say jobs cannot be found in the territory. This brain drain is silently crippling the Virgin Islands economy.
“It makes no sense, that job seekers who want to be employed here at home, have to leave because the prospect of being hired in the VI is slim,” Frett-Gregory said. “It’s time to hold a Job Fair in both districts so people can find out if they qualify for positions that can sustain their families.”
Sen. Frett-Gregory proposes that the Job Fair take place in October, as a public-private partnership, sponsored by the VI Division of Personnel.
“We should remove whatever is blocking people from living the lifestyle they deserve,” the senator said. “It’s not only fair but will keep the VI economy healthy. We need to create a Virgin Islands for all, and that begins with employing our people—all of them.”
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CONTACT:
Wean Farrell
Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Donna A. Frett-Gregory
wwilliamsfarrell@legvi.org