The America’s Cup Event Authority has taken on a Bermudian recruiting firm to hire local workers for positions relating to the 2017 America’s Cup races.

Minister for Economic Development Dr Grant Gibbons responded today to questions raised by the Progressive Labour Party over the posting of job opportunities on the ACEA website.

Jamahl Simmons, Acting Shadow Minister for Tourism, had called on Government to post the positions on a local jobs board, adding: “Unfortunately, these jobs were hidden away on the America’s Cup website and not yet advertised in Bermuda.”

Six positions went online yesterday and a further six were recently posted.

“From the outset I want to make it clear it has always been and continues to be this Government’s commitment to ensure that Bermudians are afforded job opportunities associated with the America’s Cup, and any assertion to the contrary is regrettable,” said Dr Gibbons, who noted that any suggestion that jobs had been concealed from Bermudians was “absurd”.

“To be clear, the ACEA is very keen to recruit Bermudians for specific positions,” he said. “In fact, as a reminder, in an editorial contribution to The Royal Gazette on December 19, Peter Rusch, communications director for the ACEA, stated they intended to hire a dozen Bermudians — and that was just to start.

“At that, time he referred readers to the jobs section on www.americascup.com. This was a beginning only. During December the ACEA were reviewing local recruitment companies to assist them in their recruitment efforts. They made a decision on the successful company recently and have been working with that company ever since. This will result in an advertisement appearing in The Royal Gazette early next week listing several positions that the ACEA is earnestly seeking Bermudians to fill. These jobs will also be posted on other online employment platforms and forums.”

Dr Gibbons said the Island’s bid to secure the 35th America’s Cup rested strongly on the assertion that the entire community would welcome the events, adding that “misplaced, inaccurate, indeed blatantly untrue allegations made yesterday, which spurred uncertainty and concern within our community, work towards the exact opposite objective”.

The authority has been “pleased already by the initial responses from the website”, Dr Gibbons said.

In response, however, Mr Simmons maintained that the jobs openings should be issued by Government.

“It is important that any and all on-island jobs related to the America’s Cup be posted on the Bermuda Government Jobs Board,” he said.

“With the ongoing Bermudian jobs crisis and $77 million taxpayer dollars committed to this important event, the PLP will work tirelessly to ensure that every Bermudian and not just a select few, benefit from the America’s Cup.”