Jason Hayward, the Minister of Economy and Labour, has pressed home the Government’s record on improving worker conditions.

At a press conference addressing Throne Speech initiatives on Wednesday, the minister emphasised that the Government had taken steps to improve the lot of workers, including the development of a minimum hourly wage, retaining post-retirement-aged staff in the workforce and investing in workforce development.

Asked on options to boost the working population by more than 8,000 in the next five years — a key plank in the Government’s economic recovery plan — Mr Hayward said a growing economy would increase job opportunities and attract labour from overseas.

Mr Hayward estimated that the number of workers had grown by 1,000 in the past year, fuelled largely by a flourishing international business sector.

There was no progress to report on attempts to kick-start new industries such as casinos, vertical farming, medical tourism and a fish processing plant.

Questioned on economic diversification, Mr Hayward said: “You know that we developed the Economic Development Strategy, which was ultimately designed to create robust economic activity across multiple industrial areas, which will actually create more jobs and then we can fill those jobs with able-bodied individuals.

“And so, if you ask me if concrete steps are being taken to increase our working population, I will say yes. We support the interests that we have in Bermuda for expansion; we’re trying to attract new businesses in Bermuda.

“You will look at our job numbers last year and we increased jobs by roughly around 1,000 in our economy. So we are making steady progress in the right direction and we will continue to make that progress.

“The Economic Development Strategy is the primary tool that will drive economic development, which will drive jobs.”

In his statement, Mr Hayward praised the island’s labour force as “the solid foundation on which economic progress is made”.

He called the minimum hourly wage — introduced by the Progressive Labour Party government last year — “a significant step towards ensuring fair compensation for employees and reducing income inequality”, adding that legislation would ensure that the $16.40 hourly rate will keep in line with inflation.

Mr Hayward highlighted moves to provide greater protections for workers.

He said that “in many instances, the employer will not reinstate or re-engage the former employee and, also, will fail to honour the award or make arrangements to pay the worker”.

“In this legislative session, the Ministry of Economy and Labour and Department of Labour will advance greater protections for workers in enforcing tribunal awards.”

He stated that legislation will encourage businesses to retain staff who reach retirement age by eliminating the employer’s portion of payroll tax for employees once they reach 65.

Mr Hayward said: “Older workers should, without discrimination by reason of their age, enjoy equality of opportunity and treatment with other workers as regarding recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training, working conditions and career development.

“These changes will aim to retain the current workforce while other efforts will focus on growing the Island’s economy, creating more jobs that support an increased working population.

“As ‘baby-boomers’ reach retirement age, many remain capable and able to carry out their duties with competence.”

He said that a stream of training programmes was in the pipeline, including apprenticeship opportunities in construction and skilled trades, and hospitality training.

The Government is to launch a new career development platform to close the workforce gap by developing students and jobseekers, directly connecting them to employers.

Mr Hayward said: “The development of skilled trades is essential for the economy’s growth, sustainability, innovation and success. Skilled trades offer a viable career path for many individuals interested in pursuing a career in a hands-on, practical field. These careers can provide a steady income, job security and opportunities for growth and advancement.”

He said that changes to employment laws will see the maximum allowable severance pay increase from 26 weeks to 32 weeks for staff in continuous employment for 13 years or more.

The increase will be accompanied by an amendment to remove the requirement to pay payroll tax on redundancy pay.