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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 14, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Hundreds of jobs are expected to come on stream in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2018 in the construction sector, as work is scheduled to commence shortly on the establishment of several luxury brand hotels in the Federation, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said during his press conference on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

The prime minister noted that this robust expansion of the construction sector will significantly stimulate the local economy, which is now forecast to grow at 4.5 percent in 2018. He also recommended that construction companies are prepared to deal with the influx of work and make sure they are using software similar to Spectrum field services to help improve their workflow during this time.

“The construction of Six Senses Hotel at La Vallee, peaking with about 753 direct jobs on site; and that data we got from the Park Hyatt construction. Second, the construction of the Royal Mist Hotel in West Basseterre which will start shortly on the first phase – that is the delivery of 145 rooms in phase one and 90,000 sq ft. of commercial space; that is a major undertaking that will happen in West Basseterre. Then we note the construction which is anticipated on a brand new hotel by the Helden’s Developers later this year or early next year,” the prime minister said while noting that construction is also continuing apace at the Kings Pavilion Hotel on the Bay Road, Basseterre.

Prime Minister Harris further noted that construction accounts for nearly 20 percent of economic activity in St. Kitts and Nevis. This isn’t too different from other locations, too. The construction industry provides many jobs and training, such as those who get cscs card certificates, a boost in the economy and good change to areas such as St Kitts and all over the world.

With these new jobs available for workers, there is an added urgency for more safety precautions and equipment to be considered, because more bodies and more things happening increases the chance of accidents happening. This is why someone is needed to oversee all work and ensure nothing bad happens to anyone. Whether this is with walkie talkies for communication or equipment like guard railing, secure scaffolding and PPE.

Dr. Harris also pointed out that construction is set to commence shortly on the second cruise pier at Port Zante, adding, “The mobilization has been paid to the appropriate contractors and very soon we will see construction activities on our second cruise pier.” Indeed, seeing construction in any locale, be it by Prodan Construction in Gresham or here in St. Kitts, helps envigorate the local community.

Prime Minister Harris remarked that within a short space of just three years, the Team Unity-led Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has “effectively given and added impetus or jumpstarted work on four hotels. We brought Park Hyatt to a successful completion. In 2014, Park Hyatt had an average of 44 persons on site; at its peak in 2017, we had up to 800 direct employees and it averaged 753 throughout the course of 2017. We have energized the work at Radisson, KOI and Helden’s, all of which are now on schedule to open later this year in 2018.”

The honourable prime minister stated that the addition of these new developments in St. Kitts and Nevis means hundreds of jobs being made available to the people, as well as higher earning potentials.

“I want to appeal to our men and women to seize the opportunities for employment, to enhance their productivity and performance. I encourage them…to be at their productive best [and] to maximize their earnings by giving a full day’s work each day that work is available,” Prime Minister Harris added.

The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis said that his Cabinet is comforted in knowing that the highest earnings, the highest job figures, and highest number of contributors in history, according to the records of the Social Security Board, happened under the leadership of the Team Unity Administration.