National Housing Trust (NHT) Managing Director Martin Miller says while there is an impression that the agency is cash-rich, it continues to be constrained by construction costs as it tries to provide Jamaicans with housing solutions. Currently, the demand for housing is 19,000 annually, but the NHT has only been

THE Senate is likely to pass the new Road Traffic Act today, ending several years of delay in repealing the existing 80-year-old act which governs usage of Jamaica's roadways. The Bill, which has been through a number of changes since 2015, was passed by the House of Representatives on November

Caricom's Competition Commission, which monitors business activity in the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), says it has taken note of the recent announcement by the Bank of Nova Scotia (“Scotiabank”) of its intention to sell banking assets in nine English-and Dutch-speaking countries in the region. In a release issued

Last week, I provided evidence of a lack of competition in the Jamaican banking sector. As one possible remedy, I praised the issuance of a commercial banking licence to Jamaican National, JN, and recommended the issuance of another licence to Victoria Mutual Building Society, VMBS. Both of these institutions are

Banking conglomerate Scotia Group Jamaica Limited recorded a soft fourth quarter, but still closed the year with marginally higher profit of $12.8 billion. Those results were just 2.6 per cent better than last year, when Jamaica's number two bank made $12.4 billion. Earnings per share for the full year totalled

MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — A business group warned yesterday that a labour shortage in Canada is deepening, with more than 430,000 jobs at small and medium-sized firms remaining unfilled for at least four months. The job vacancy rate has risen to 3.3 per cent, from 2.9 per cent a year

A sizeable and complex financial sector dominated by large intra- and interconnected financial conglomerate groups with cross-border linkages has prompted calls from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for improved supervision and data collection methods for the institutions. Last Friday the IMF, in reporting on the results of Jamaica's 2018 Financial

Spice manufacturer Spur Tree will later this week send off its largest shipment of seasoning to Australia. In fact, the 40-foot container, which is currently being packed for export to the country that is known for its unique animal species like the kangaroo and duck-billed platypus, will be the largest

London , United Kingdom (AFP) — European markets lost ground yesterday on the back of sharp Asian losses and overnight on Wall Street, as concern grew over the US economic outlook, dealers said. With Wall Street closed on a US national day of mourning for former president George HW Bush,

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is taking steps to amend the Minimum Wage Act to provide greater protection for workers. The existing law, passed in 1938, provides for the payment of wages above or equal to, but not below a statutory level for certain types of work. It also establishes