The Cayman Islands is renowned as a leading financial services jurisdiction and a lucrative place for high-net-worth investors. In addition, it is a location where foreign workers flock in search of new job opportunities. These fantastic success stories, however, are not experienced by everyone, as illustrated by an unemployed George Town mother of four children aged 22, 18, 13, and 2, who shared her financial and employment challenges with Loop News.

First, her uphill battle began in 2019 when she found herself unemployed. Although she has “been looking for a while now, ” she has not succeeded.

However, the setback has not hampered her spirit, and she continued the job hunt.

She shared:

I’ve applied at Kirk’s, Hurley’s [and] Shop Right… and they told me that I would get back a response.

Kirk’s told me that they will keep my application on file and they have others interviewing.

Hurley’s didn’t get back to me and I’m trying to apply to Cayman Airways [but] having a little problem with the online application.

While waiting for a job opportunity to materialize, she said she registered with WORC and tried to improve her skillset by attending UCCI and completing a course in reception services (Tourism Management Level 2). She recently graduated from UCCI in August 2023.

With no job to pay her bills, she is now experiencing financial challenges. 

To resolve this, she explained that she contacted the Needs Assessment Unit (NAU) for financial assistance. She is currently working through the documentation that NAU reportedly needs as a prerequisite to providing help.

Without immediate NAU assistance, she said, “I don’t have anyone helping me from my family members.”

She added, ” My [last] son’s father motivated me. He uplifts me into getting a job to support my family. Without his support and motivation, I don’t know what would happen.”

Regarding her children’s well-being, while she tries to secure a job, it is understood that her 22-year-old can support himself, and her 18-year-old lives with friends in Frank Sound.

A younger teenager, aged 13, lives with his father.

Regarding the fourth child, a two-year-old, she said, “My last son’s father does what he can with helping me.”

In addition to assistance from her last son’s father, she receives Foster’s food vouchers occasionally to ensure sufficient food is on the table for the family. While this is helpful, the harsh reality is that food stamps are not a long-term solution. She will eventually need a permanent job to earn a steady income. 

A casual observation of her situation may lead one to think that this is a one-off event experienced by a Caymanian. That is, she is just someone temporarily down on their luck. However, after hearing from others, the issue may be more widespread than initially thought. This includes some Caymanians having challenges finding work after graduating high school and university. 

To address these issues, it is noted that some local companies are promoting training programmes to help prospective employees improve their skills. Job fairs are also offered to make Caymanians aware of job prospects.

Even with these resources in place, however, there are other factors to consider. These include increasingly fierce competition in the job market, especially from cheaper international labour. Further, job requirements may sometimes be tailored for a specific person an employer seeks to hire. That is, tailored for someone the employer may genuinely believe will help grow and promote their business.

Concerning what steps should be taken to assist struggling Caymanians, including the mother of four mentioned above, it is unclear whether one should just let market forces determine where people end up or whether policymakers should step in to ensure that fair employment practices remain in place. 

In addition to considering some intervention, policymakers may wish to introduce vocational, financial services, and other training earlier in the education system than currently offered.  This may help Caymanians improve their chances of immediately entering the job market after they acquire the relevant skills.