NASSAU, Bahamas — Abaco’s labour shortages are causing post-Dorian reconstruction prices to “skyrocket” by at least 25 percent, the island’s Chamber of Commerce chief warned yesterday, The Tribune reported on July 6, in an article written by Business Editor Neil Hartnell.
Ken Hutton told Tribune Business that the Government and wider Bahamas “need to pull out all the stops” to meet the island’s needs given that the lack of qualified contractors and skilled trades persons could double the time taken to rebuild while “pricing out” many Bahamians.
With skilled contractors saying they have client waiting lists of “about a year”, he argued that the sheer extent of Dorian’s devastation – and the required reconstruction – meant that the island needed an influx in the “hundreds” to speed up its rebound.
Describing the recent controversy over the Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club’s decision to bring in 135 Mexican construction workers as an example of this problem, Mr Hutton said The Bahamas had not choice but “to take a hit” for both that project and wider reconstruction efforts.
He argued that Abaco needed Baker’s Bay to be restored and re-opened “as quickly and possible” given its status as the so-called anchor project for the Marsh Harbour area, having employed more than 1,000 Bahamians prior to Dorian and COVID-19.”
Mr Hutton said that if this required bringing in specialist expatriate labour “that’s what we have to do”, adding that time is running out for “a decision to be made” on how Abaco’s workforce weaknesses are to be addressed.
While the COVID-19 lockdown “never really halted” construction efforts on the Dorian-ravaged island, the Chamber president said the labour shortage was being worsened as many second homeowners were returning to the island seeking to rebuild with the re-opening of The Bahamas’ borders.
He added that a lack of suitable worker housing was another dilemma for rebuilding efforts, although proposals for a “man camp” and forms of temporary accommodation are already coming from the private sector. See full Tribune article at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/jul/07/abaco-struggles-find-new-workers/
