A loophole in the Industrial Relations Act Chapter 88:13 is preventing Government from capturing the correct number of persons retrenched since September, says Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus.
She said, at present, the law only requires companies retrenching five or more persons to issue such notices to the ministry. Employers reducing their workforce by a number less than five had no legal obligation to communicate such information, which negatively affects the correlation of unemployment figures.
On record, Baptiste-Primus said, approximately 890 persons lost their jobs between September and January.
"But between September and present it is well over 1,500 that we know of."
Baptiste-Primus said the weakness in the law has to be addressed, making it mandatory for all employers to report staff cuts to the Minister of Labour.
"That's the only way we can capture all the data, so that a realistic picture emerges and our policy decisions will be influenced by real data affecting the entire employment scenario in T&T," she said.
The minister said jobs are becoming available, though not necessarily in the sectors those unemployed were in previously. She said the National Employment Service at the ministry is registering persons and employers on advertising vacancies. Those meeting the qualification requirements are being referred to employers desirous of hiring.
"We also interview those workers on behalf of the employers and then shuttle them across. There are a lot of different jobs opening up, but not necessarily within the area where persons have become unemployed. And, within the context of the economic downturn, workers will have to re-adjust their expectations," she said.
"A job they would have done for 20 years is no longer there and therefore they will have to switch focus and do another job merely to survive," she said.