Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Antigua and Barbuda is experiencing near-full employment but acknowledged that the government needs to conduct an updated labour market survey to better assess workforce trends.

Responding to a question in Parliament, Browne said the last labour survey was conducted around 2016 or 2017 and agreed that new data is needed.

“I will accept that we need to do a current one,” Browne said. “But we all know, at least anecdotally, that it’s practically full employment in this country.”

The prime minister pointed to the steady flow of people entering Antigua and Barbuda and finding jobs as evidence of strong labour demand.

“In fact, there are people coming into this country literally on a daily basis and obtaining employment,” he said.

Browne also raised concerns about what he described as a growing reluctance among some Antiguans and Barbudans to accept available jobs for which they are qualified.

“We have a developing cultural problem within the society,” he said, adding that businesses continue to report difficulties filling positions in areas such as retail, security, domestic work and hospitality.

According to Browne, the increase in work permit applications has prompted Cabinet to centralize the approval process, but many employers continue to report challenges recruiting local workers.

“I’m pretty convinced that we practically have full employment and that those who are not employed is that they’re either not willing to work or they’re unavailable to work,” Browne said.