Drop in jobless rate a myth, says Moonilal

In a release issued yesterday, he accused Prime Minister Patrick Manning of harping on “this mythical” reduction of the unemployed, as a ploy to validate the importation of Caricom workers into Trinidad, and boost the electoral chances of the PNM in the next general elections. “They intend to bring in voters in response to a manufactured and manipulated labour shortage,” Moonilal claimed. The UNC MP recalled that he had also repeatedly warned the population that the Manning administration intended to reduce the jobless rate by disguised employment via the plethora of short-term, low skill, low paid and temporary jobs offered by CEPEP, URP, OJT and other temporary programmes. “In fact, they boast about creating temporary low paid jobs,” Moonilal said.

“The PNM Government has taken the dependency syndrome to new heights by creating a form of white collar DEWD or ten days syndrome. Today, unlike in the past, even those with secondary or tertiary education are on temporary jobs, which when concluded leaves them to beg for more short-term jobs,” he said.

Moonilal added that an increasing number of young people with secondary education remain unemployed or underemployed as their chances of permanent well paid jobs are dim.